Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed victory in Race 2 at the Circuito Estoril as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship concluded at the historic Portuguese venue. The #11 ensured the title battle will roll on to the season finale at Jerez next week with his 17th WorldSBK victory, as Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) came home in second for the EICMA Estoril Round.
BULEGA BATTLES TO P1: Victory for the #11, Razgatlioglu second
As in the previous two races, Razgatlioglu lost ground at the start of the race, dropping to fifth behind Bulega, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) and Bautista, moving ahead of the #19 to take P4 at Turn 1 on Lap 2. At Turn 6, ‘El Turco’ tried to pass Iannone but ‘The Maniac’ fought back; however, the #29 was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start. At Turn 9, Razgatlioglu was up to second after getting ahead of Locatelli and soon set his sights on Bulega, who was 1.4 seconds clear at the start of Lap 3. The pair traded similar lap times throughout the first quarter of the race, with the gap hovering at just over a second. On Lap 7, ‘Bulegas’ lapped four tenths quicker to open the gap to 1.5 seconds, appearing to put some breathing room between himself and the BMW rider. By the halfway mark, Bulega had extended the gap to over two seconds. While the gap did fluctuate a bit, Bulega went on to claim victory in Race 2, ensuring the title fight would go to the final round at Jerez.
BAUTISTA TAKES THREE P3S: A triple visit to the rostrum
The fight for third was another barnstorming battle, with Bautista slower in the first stages of the race and having to fend off his rivals. He had ‘Loka’ behind him at the start of Lap 5, who in turn was under pressure from Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who forced his way ahead of the Yamaha rider at Turn 1. That order remained stable throughout the race with Bautista taking his third P3 finish of the weekend, which moved him into third in the Championship standings. Bulega’s victory and Bautista’s rostrum ensured Aruba.it Racing – Ducati wrapped up the Teams’ Championship for 2025. The #22 finished in fourth after losing time in the final stages to Bautista, with Locatelli claiming P5.
A BIG FIGHT INSIDE THE TOP TEN: Vierge claims sixth ahead of Gardner
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) took the chequered flag in P6 as he finished as the only Honda rider in the top ten, finishing 1.4 seconds clear of Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in seventh. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) ensured both Bimotas were inside the top ten as he finished in eighth, directly ahead of Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in ninth.
VAN DER MARK RESISTS GERLOFF: Scrapping for the top ten
Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had to fend off a hard-charging Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) to secure a finish in the top ten, eventually finishing just 0.128s clear of the Texan. Iannone battled back to 12th after his penalty, with ‘The Maniac’ initially dropping out of the points after his penalty. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) was 13th ahead of Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who rounded out the points-paying positions.
FINISHING THE RACE: Narrowly missing out on P15
Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) narrowly missed out on P15 as he finished half-a-second down on Montella, while he had a 12-second margin to wildcard Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) in 17th. Bobby Fong (Attack Performance Yamaha Racing) was the last classified rider in 18th place.
RETIRING FROM RACE 2: Four riders don’t finish
Michael Rinaldi (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) was the first rider to drop out of the race when he crashed at Turn 7, retiring from the race. Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) crashed out of the race at Turn 7 on Lap 13. Meanwhile, home hero Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) retired in the early stages of Race 2. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Action) was a faller in the final few laps when he came down at Turn 1.
The top six from WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.868s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +15.331s
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +17.333s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +20.567s
6. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) +22.205s
Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega (Ducati), 1’35.406s
Championship standings:
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 580 points
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 541
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 292
4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) 284
5. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 284
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 193
