Bulega makes it three at the Island

February 23, 2025

In cooler temperatures Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued his red-hot start to the 2025 by claiming all three race victories at the Australian Round of WorldSBK.

Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
Bulega converted his pole position into a holeshot and led every lap of the ten lap Tissot Superpole Race. The Italian opened a lead of over one second at the half way point before extending that to 2.324s at the chequered flag.

From the outside of the front row Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) was the closest challenger to Bulega and claimed the first podium of his campaign.

The opening lap saw the reigning World Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) narrowly avoid crashing into Bulega and Iannone at Turn 4. The Turkish rider ran through the grass and rejoined at the back at the field before finishing outside the points in 12th position.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was another rider in that Turn 4 incident and he also ran off-track. The Spaniard would suffer further misfortune with Turn 6 crash on the second lap.

A race long battle saw Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claim the final podium position. Just over half a second seperated Petrucci from Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). Lowes claimed a career best result in fifth position.

Race 2 Highlights
The results of the Superpole Race set the grid positions for the front three rows of the grid. Bulega once again converted his pole position into an early lead with Iannone again his closest challenger. The margin between the Italian duo opened to two seconds before the mandatory pit window opened for tyre changes.

Starting from the fourth row of the grid Bautista made a quick start but had contact through Turn 2 with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team). Bautista made swift progress and at one third distance was running in the podium positions. As one of the first riders to pit for his fresh tyres he returned to the fray on the tail of Iannone but while fighting with Redding. On Lap 13 Bautista had moved into second position. The double World Champion would finish the race 2.603s behind Bulega.

A pit intervention penalty saw Redding penalised 2.9s but the British rider still finished in fourth position behind Iannone after a strong weekend aboard the Ducati.

It was a remarkable day for Ducati as they claimed the top five positions in the Superpole Race and the top six positions in Race 2. A race long battle saw Petrucci beat Sam Lowes to the line for fifth position.

Razgatlioglu endured a difficult day at Phillip Island and retired from Race 2 with a technical issue.

Championship Highlights
By claiming his first career hat-trick Bulega opened a commanding 26 point lead from his teammate, Bautista.

Iannone leaves the opening round in third position. He holds a four point advantage over Petrucci with Redding a point further back.

A Race 1 podium saw Razgatlioglu claim 20 points but he was unable to add to that tally on Sunday.

P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I’m really happy because this is my first hat-trick in WorldSBK. It feels incredible to do this it at my favourite track. I want to go home and celebrate! I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this weekend. My bike was perfect from Monday’s test to the last lap of Race 2. I enjoyed every lap this week. We can be competitive again in Portimao, though it won’t be easy. Toprak will be very fast there as will Alvaro and other riders. I’ll try to maintain this level even though it will be difficult.”

P4 – Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing)
“Today was good. Honestly, I really wanted that podium so bad! In the Superpole race, I battled with Danilo and learned a few things with the used tyres, electronics and setup. This test was the first time we made real progress with the bike. The race weekend was tough but it’s fantastic to be back fighting at the front, overtaking guys, and being where I should be. In Race 2 I told myself that I had to find a red or yellow bike and not let go! I made a great start but they were just faster than me. I was riding at the limit and they looked comfortable. I came away with three top-fives, which I’m happy with. I fought for the podium—I just didn’t end up on it. But I gave it everything. We’re still learning with Ducati, but the team has been amazing.”

DNF – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“The Superpole Race wasn’t ideal for me. I had some big issues, but luckily, I didn’t hit anyone. It felt like we were improving, and the grip was better. But in the race, we faced technical problems and couldn’t continue the race. I never start the season very happy, and this year is no different. It’s always strange for me but I’m focused on the next race as we head back to Europe. We will have a test in Portimao before the round which will be important for us. We will have two days of testing which will help us to improve the bike because we’re still not at 100%. Everyone is pushing hard and I know we’ll keep working to improve.”

Superpole Race Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +2.324s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +4.923s

Race 2 Results