The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back with a bang! Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) blazed around the track in Australia’s Race 1, followed by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in P2, and Alvaro Bautista in P3. The Australian Round’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit played host to a dream start to the season for 2024 runner-up Nicolo Bulega, as he crossed the finish line with an almost five second gap ahead of the next rider.
Nicolo Bulega capitalized on his Tissot Superpole win, holding off the rest of the grid as he claimed the holeshot. Turn 1 was the closet any rider ended up coming to the Italian sophomore star, finishing with a margin of 4.811s ahead of 2024 World Champions Toprak Razgatlioglu For his part, Toprak looked more comfortable atop his new BMW M 1000 RR, battling with Alvaro Bautista, Andrea Iannone and Scott Redding in the laps preceding the mandatory Pit Intervention, Razgatlioglu finished P2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) looked to be similarly growing in confidence with his setup, tenaciously defending his podium spot from persistent overtake attempts from Scott Redding, Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Iannone.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was composed as ever in Race 1’s return to WorldSBK action. Starting out in P5, he weathered assaults from a resurgent Scott Redding and rival Andrea Iannone to finish P4 and once again finished top among Independent riders in P4. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) showed glimpses of his 2021 Ducati-riding form in Race 1, leapfrogging Bautista and Toprak at points to take P3, however a late move from Petrucci in Turn 1 of Lap 18 narrowly prevented him from claiming the day’s top Independent position. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) looked strong to start the contest, claiming P2 exiting the first corner of Lap 1. ‘The Maniac’ lost much of this early momentum however as he appeared to have an issue with his bike in Turn 4 of Lap 2, dropping from P2 to P6 in an instant as he hesitated entering the corner. Later on in the early running, he showed similar signs of a problem with his setup as he ran wide into Turn 1 of Lap 3. Much of his best riding on the day came after the pit stop, where he recuperated positions to finish P6.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) carried the Yamaha flag in Race 1, representing for his team after teammate Johnathan Rea suffered multiple foot fractures in testing earlier this week. The Italian rider came home in P7, finishing ahead of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). Lowes’s P8 and Axel Bassani’s (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) P9 atop the new KB998 Rimini is no small feat for the returning manufacturer and will provide a strong base result to improve upon as the season continues. Alex Lowes was assessed a 0.6s penalty for an early departure from the pit lane, a penalty which had he avoided, he would have been only 0.096s behind Locatelli. Bassani especially has many positives he can take away from the race, his start in P14 nullified by strong riding taking up to P7 before his trip to the pits. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) finished in P10, claiming the spot from Xavi Vierge early in the race after a long battle which Lowes eventually came out on top.
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) finished the season-opening Race 1 in P11 as his teammate was ruled out with a broken metatarsal in his left foot in Free Practice 3. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was the second-fastest Yamaha on the day as his teammate Remy Gardner was forced out with a technical issue. The Swiss rider finished 12th. In P13, Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished top among the 2025 rookies after a Yari Montella’s crash, and Zaqhwan Zaidi’s (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) failure to qualify, and Bahattin Sofuoglu’s P15 finish. Replacement rider Tetsuda Nagashima (Honda HRC) was filling in for the injured Iker Lecuona, and notched a P14 finish to score points for team Honda HRC. Still recovering from his broken collarbone suffered in preseason testing, Bahattin Sofuoglu was able to round out the point-scoring positions in P15. Rounding out the grid who finished the race, Scotsman Tarran Mackenzie finished P16 for Petronas MIE Honda Racing Team.
Italian Rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) saw his first-ever WorldSBK Race end in after a single lap, taking a spill in Turn 1 of his second lap, a disappointment for the freshman rider as he had impressed in testing earlier this week. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) watched his first race in green from the pit as a tech issue ruled him out early, being forced to retire in Lap 7. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) lost control of his bike heading into the fast Turn 1 in his ninth lap, walking away uninjured but ending his race. The Dutchman’s bike slid out from under him and cartwheeled into the gravel. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) suffered a tech issue as he flew into the straightaway, spewing a plume of white smoke as he rode off onto the grass beside the track, retiring at the end of Lap 12.
