Rain was once again the villain of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field after it fell ahead of the final test session at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topped the day’s running thanks to his 1’29.680s set in the morning as he led a trio of Ducati riders, with reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claiming fourth in the dry. The track dried throughout the final two-hour session, with times rapidly falling, although they were just shy of the morning efforts for the majority of the field.
Now entering his sophomore season, Bulega has started 2025 as he started his rookie season, with some impressive pace and consistency; over 25 flying laps in FP3, 17 laps were in the 1’29s bracket while two were in the 1’28s, as he claimed top spot with a 1’28.680s. A trio of Ducatis led the field with Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) just under half-a-second down on Bulega, completing 11 timed laps and 21 in total, while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) was third, 0.499s down on Bulega, with 31 laps to his name. ‘Petrux’ had a longest stint of nine laps and, like Bulega and Iannone, completed many 1’29s – although he was less consistent across his runs. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took fifth as he found more confidence on his Panigale V4 R, showing consistency throughout the dry conditions as he often lapped in the 1’29s; he also completed 38 laps in the morning session. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) completed the top ten as he continued re-adapting to the Panigale V4 R as he completed 35 dry laps, finishing just ahead of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in 11th. Rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) impressed on Day 1 of the Official Test and did again on Day 2, despite a crash at Turn 4, as he finished 13th place ahead of fellow rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
Reigning Champion Razgatlioglu bounced back from his FP1 crash to take fourth on Day 2, and also showed speed and consistency across his stints. 10 laps in the 1’29s and a couple in the 1’30s suggest the #1 is close to the Ducatis ahead but still missing a little bit. ‘El Turco’ actually improved his time right at the end of FP4 with the track at its driest compared to the morning session as he set a 1’29.247s. As for teammate Michael van der Mark, the Dutchman took 12th place in the dry conditions after setting a 1’29.948s to lap 1.268s slower than pacesetter Bulega.
Andrea Locatelli was the sole representative for the Pata Maxus Yamaha squad on Day 2 following teammate Jonathan Rea’s injury, and he claimed sixth place with a 1’29.493s while also completing 24 laps as he continued testing the 2025 package featuring chassis components and new electronic strategies. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took 15th place with Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Tito Rabat (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu in 18th, 19th and 21st respectively.
Bimota’s strong pre-season form continued with P6 and P7 on Tuesday, with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) leading teammate Axel Bassani by just 0.093s. The #22 completed 36 laps while Bassani added another 30 in the dry FP3 session. The best time for Bimota was recorded by Alex Lowes who set a 1’29.534s while Bassani’s P8 meant he was the last rider within a second of Bulega’s time.
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the fastest Honda rider on Day 2 as Honda continued to test their CBR1000RR-R with Ohlins suspension following their switch. Vierge posted a 1’29.812s as he claimed P9 with 33 laps to his name while teammate Iker Lecuona, recovering from a training crash that left him injured was 20th. His best time was a 1’30.642s as he completed 26 laps. Test rider Tetsuta Nagashima, who will also race in Australia, finished in 17th place with a 1’30.161s; he was one of the first to venture out in the wet FP4 conditions. Elsewhere, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) rounded out the WorldSBK field in the dry conditions with a 1’31.130s while teammate Zaqhwan Zaidi got his first taste of WorldSBK action in the wet, although he crashed at Turn 4 on his first flying lap.
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has been quick throughout the winter so far, but Day 2 in Australia was more difficult for the American. A crash at Turn 8 briefly brought out the red flags, with the #31 completing 16 laps and posting a best of 1’30.350s. He was also one rider to venture out in the wet, setting a 1’44.955s after he didn’t go out in the best conditions.
By the end of the final two-hour session, the track had almost dried out with just a few patches of water remaining. Slick tyres were fitted and times tumbled rapidly from the high 1’40s to almost matching the FP3 efforts. Bulega made it four from four as he set a 1’29.133s at the end of FP4 to top the session, a tenth ahead of Razgatlioglu. Locatelli completed the top three ahead of Iannone, who was briefly P1, while Redding, Petrucci, Vickers, Gardner and Bautista all took turns leading the session. Gardner had a crash at the end of the session which brought out the red flags after he fell at Turn 3.
The top six from Day 2 at the Official Test:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’28.680s, 42 laps
2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) +0.482s, 31 laps
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.499s, 44 laps
4. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.567s, 39 laps
5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.797s, 55 laps
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.813s, 35 laps
