With the Pirelli supersoft E0126 rear tire, the BMW driver Toprak Razgatlioğlu wins all the Superbike races of the weekend World SBK in Misano, while the new extrasoft E0479 tire convinces from its debut.
In qualifying, all drivers used the new extrasoft E0479 specification at the rear to set their fastest laps, while in Race 1, the preference was unanimously for the supersoft E0126. At the front, the SC1 was chosen by everyone in qualifying, as well as by most drivers at the start of Race 1, with six drivers preferring the SC2: in addition to Bulega, Sam Lowes, Andrea Iannone, Scott Redding, Garret Gerloff and Zaqhwan Zaidi.
Despite the extremely high asphalt temperatures, which affected his natural grip levels, Bulega managed to make the most of the performance offered by the new E0479 extra-soft rear tire to set a new qualifying track record of 1:31.618, improving Razgatlioğlu's 2024 record by 7 tenths of a second. Race 1 was 13 seconds faster than in 2024, with an improvement in the average lap time of more than 6 tenths.
The first victory of the weekend at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna round of the FIM Superbike World Championship went to Toprak Razgatlioğlu (BMW), who won race 1 ahead of Nicholas Bulega (Ducati), second at the finish and the only rider to have managed to keep up with the pace of the Turkish rider, and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati), third. The first and third-place finishers had identical tire choices: SC1 combined with the new E0126 supersoft rear tire currently in development. Bulega, meanwhile, opted for the SC2 at the front.
Track temperatures during the races were very high for both categories: WorldSSP started at 53°C, while WorldSBK reached 55°C.
“The first two days at Misano have been positive for us, as we have gathered important information on the two development specifications in the allocation. After Assen and Cremona, the supersoft E0126 development was the almost unanimous choice for the race here at Misano, which was 13 seconds faster than the 2024 with the same number of laps, despite a 10°C increase in asphalt temperature. This has confirmed the versatility of this solution, given the results obtained on very different circuits and temperatures. Furthermore, regarding the other development specification we brought to Misano, the brand-new E0479 which replaces the standard SCQ normally present, the feedback has been very positive and has allowed Bulega to significantly improve the lap record. The track temperatures were quite high, to the detriment of the grip normally offered by the track, so we are satisfied with the results obtained both on the fast lap and over the race distance.” It will be interesting to see what the drivers choose for the Superpole Race tomorrow."
After his victory in race 1, Toprak Razgatlioğlu (BMW) dominated both races on Sunday at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna WorldSBK round: in the Superpole Race, he finished ahead of alex lowes (Bimota) and Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha), while in race 2 he took over from the Ducati riders Nicolò Bulega et Alvaro Bautista.
At Misano, Razgatlioğlu achieved a magnificent hat-trick, repeating what he had already achieved in 2024Both races took place on a very hot track, with the Superpole Race running at 47°C, rising to 57°C in Race 2, about 10°C warmer than the same races in 2024.
For both the Superpole Race and Race 2, Razgatlioğlu chose the same tires: standard SC1 medium tires at the front and development E0126 supersoft tires at the rear.
In the Superpole Race, most drivers used the new E0479 extra-soft rear tyre in development. Apart from Razgatlioğlu, the only ones to choose the E0126 super-soft tyre for the short race were pole-sitter Nicolò Bulega, Sam Lowes, Iker Lecuona (Honda) and Michael Van Der Mark (BMW). At the front, the standard SC1 tyre was the benchmark in both races.
The E0126 supersoft tires were also the most popular combination for the long race, with the exception of Sam Lowes and Scott Redding (Ducati) and Garret Gerloff (Kawasaki), who opted for SC2 hard tires on the front.
As in Race 1, the overall time in Race 2 was also improved compared to last year. Razgatlioğlu completed the 21 laps in 32:54.968, with an average improvement of more than half a second per lap.
“This year, temperatures in Misano were very high, above 50°C and on average about ten degrees higher than last season, which allowed us to obtain new feedback on the development of supersoft tires, after the already positive ones in Assen and Cremona. On this occasion too, the E0126 performed very well, allowing Razgatlioğlu to win all three races of the weekend. Furthermore, this solution demonstrated great consistency over the distances, also significantly improving the overall race time and pace in races 1 and 2 compared to 2024. This is an important step in the development of new solutions: after the good performance of the E0125 soft tire, the supersoft tire is also confirming itself, lap after lap, as an effective all-round solution.” The early development of the E0479 extra-soft tyre has also been very positive: not only did it set a new track record yesterday, being very fast on the flying lap, but it was also the most popular choice for today's ten-lap Superpole Race, thanks to its consistent performance over the distance. A very positive sign that will now need to be properly verified on other circuits and in other conditions."
