It was almost perfect conditions on the opening day of the 2025 WorldSBK season at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
With blue skies and a track temperature of 35°C teams and riders were able to prepare well for the opening round of the year.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) set the pace in both 45 minute sessions. The Italian completed 36 laps of the 4.445km circuit and set a fastest time of 1’28.790 to comfortably lead the way.
The day ended with Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) second fastest but over four tenths of a second slower than Bulega. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) suffered a slow speed crash at Turn 4 in Free Practice 2 and the double World Champion ended the day third fastest.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), the reigning World Champion, was the only non-Ducati runner inside the top five. The Turkish rider also crashed at Turn 4. It has been a tough winter for Razgatlioglu with a right index finger fracture having limited his time on the newly homologated 2025 BMW M 1000 RR
The 2025 season marks the return of bimota to the WorldSBK grid and Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) ended the day ninth fastest. The Englishman completed 40 laps.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) showed his speed by finishing eighth fastest. The Italian rookie was a double Supersport race winner in Australia last year and impressed in Free Practice. His teammate, Danilo Petrucci, was fourth fastest.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was a very good day. We tried to improve a little from testing, and I think we made some progress. It was just small improvements, but still something. Tomorrow, the track temperature will be much higher. We need to understand with the team if we have to adjust something on the bike or on my riding style.
In the tests, I was the fastest, but racing is always different. There are a lot more things to control, especially here, with the flag-to-flag race. The pit-stop is one more thing for us to pay attention to. Also, on the pitlane I’m on the left in the middle of a lot of mechanics.”
P2 – Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven)
“Compared to the test, I think the conditions were a little worse today. It looks better from the outside because we have sun, but the asphalt lost grip. The performance of the bike is a little lower because with the hot temperature there is less grip. You slide more, the rear spins more so it’s a bit difficult.
I think we have maintained the same performance as in testing. For everybody, it’s a little more difficult today. Nicolo and I are more or less at the same level and that’s important. For sure, we’ll try to adjust the bike a little more. We want to take a small step forward with the setup and I hope we achieve this.”
P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“Friday has been positive. This is the start of the season, the start of the weekend and I felt quite good on the bike. We already worked on the race setup during testing. Today, I could just focus on fine-tuning small details on the bike that help you enjoy riding. In the afternoon the track temperatures were higher and this was something we didn’t experience during the test. We struggled a little with rear grip, especially at maximum lean. Our pace wasn’t bad. Nicolo is maybe a step ahead of the rest but I felt good on the bike. For me, the important thing is to keep building confidence.”
P5 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“First of all, my hand is okay. When I saw I was going into the grass with the bike, I just jumped off because my hands and fingers are very important. We have three races here. The engine braking released, I don’t know why, and I lost the front immediately. We will keep working and try to find a setup for the race. It’s not easy because the overall condition is fine. I’m not happy. The bike doesn’t work like last year because after they changed the chassis it’s completely different. The bike isn’t turning, it’s not stopping, not gripping. Everything is different. I hope we find something to fight for the top five because I can’t say top three. It was a very hard day for me, but tomorrow, we’ll try again and improve something. I hope we improve.”
Combined Results after FP2
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.790s
2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +0.406s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.725s
4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.794s
5. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.809s
6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.949s
For more info checkout our dedicated World Superbike News page World Superbike News
Or visit the official World Superbike website WorldSBK.com
©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of WorldSBK.com
