Nicolo Bulega strikes first in Jerez, during the 2025 Superbike final.
The last weekend of the season World SBK started with Nicholas Bulega Aruba.it Racing – Ducati took the lead in Jerez. The Italian, who is 39 points behind Toprak Razgatlioglu in the overall standings, set the fastest time in optimal conditions with a time of 1'38'.587.
The day was not, however, perfect for Nicolo Bulega as he lost time in the second free practice session due to a technical issue on his Ducati Panigale V4R. The problem was quickly identified and the Italian returned to the track to set his fastest time on his final lap of the afternoon session.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished second in the combined standings today. The Turkish rider was not comfortable on the 4,423 km Jerez circuit, completing his 30 laps with shorter runs than usual this season.
Sam Lowes returns this weekend after missing the previous round at Estoril. The ELF Marc VDS Racing Team driver finished the day in third place at a circuit where he has won two Grands Prix. He finished the day ahead of Xavi Verge (Honda HRC), Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) finished fifth. Iannone suffered a high-speed crash at Turn 11 during the afternoon session.
One last quick tour of Jonathan Rhea allowed the Pata Maxus Yamaha to finish the day in eleventh position. This weekend will be the last of Rea's brilliant WorldSBK career.
They said…
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“My day wasn't bad, but I don't feel 100%. I think we still have room for improvement, as I didn't like the bike in some areas. I hope we can sort out some setup issues for tomorrow. I had a little skid coming out of Turn 1 and came back to the garage because Iannone told me something I didn't understand. It was just a small issue and the team quickly sorted it out. Overall, we did a good job and I tried different tire options. I was fast today, so if we can improve the bike a little bit tomorrow, I think we can be very fast.”
P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“Friday didn’t start very well, but I did my best. We had a day of testing here and I felt better then, but it’s cooler now. That changed my feeling a lot. We’re still looking for the best set-up for the race. FP2 wasn’t bad, but we’re not at Bulega’s level yet. He’s still very strong here, so I expect him to be fast again in qualifying. I’m just focusing on the race because that’s what matters most. Realistically, it won’t be easy because Nicolo is very strong at the moment, but if we can improve tomorrow, I think we can fight with him in the race.”
P3 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team)
“I know this circuit well from my Grand Prix days. Overall, today was a good day. I'm still struggling a bit with my climbs, so even though my performance is good, I'm not sure I can last the full distance. Luckily, the bike is working very well; it helped me a little today. In warmer conditions, with the electronic setup we chose, I managed to stay quite close to Nicolo. Let's see what tomorrow brings. It's the last round, so I'll give it my all.”
Superbike Jerez Nicolo Bulega
