Nicolo Bulega bounced back with a dominant Race 2 victory at the EICMA Estoril Round to take the 2025 WorldSBK title down to the final round in Jerez next weekend, although Toprak Razgatlioglu still holds the upper hand after a victory in the Tissot Superpole Race.
Tissot Superpole Race
The start of the 10-lap Sunday morning race saw Bulega snatch the lead, with teammate Alvaro Bautista in 2nd and Razgatlioglu down to 3rd. Xavi Vierge mounted a brief attack for 3rd, but the top 3 settled after the first corner.
When Razgatlioglu fell down the order in yesterday’s race, it did not stop him coming back through to the front. This time he had only fallen to 3rd so predictably the BMW rider was still in contention for the win despite another poor start.
Within half a lap, Bautista had succumbed to the pressure from Razgatlioglu. By the start of the 2nd lap, Razgatlioglu made a successful move for the lead however he then ran wide at turn 6.
This began a half-lap scrap where the positions changed at turns 8, 10 and then turn 1 on the following lap. Ultimately, Razgatliolgu prevailed and after this entertaining battle it was a done deal for the win, although Bulega at least kept him honest and under pressure for the remainder of the 10 laps.
Bautista had slipped back and was locked in a battle with Jonathan Rea. Rea, his teammate Andrea Locatelli and Vierge were stuck behind Bautista after the former very briefly ran in 3rd in the early stages only to crash out at turn 7 on lap 6.
Yari Montella also crashed out at turn 7 but was able to rejoin while Michael Ruben Rinaldi pulled into the pits of his own volition and Tito Rabat was eliminated late on.
Andrea Iannone made the most of Rea’s exit as he moved past Remy Gardner and a fading Vierge to seal 5th. He was also aided by Alex Lowes eliminating himself when he lost the front of the bike at the first corner on the last lap, securing 4th for Locatelli with Bautista broken clear up the road for 3rd with Axel Bassani and Michael van der Mark being promoted into the crucial top 9 that sets grid spots for Race 2.
Tissot Superpole Race Results
Race 2
Thanks to 2 consecutive runner-up spots, Bulega put himself in a position of near certainty going into the final race of the weekend to prolong the championship battle into Jerez. However, what the Italian pulled off on Sunday afternoon in Estoril was a real warning shot to his rival ahead of next week’s showdown.
Once again, Bulega made the hole shot to turn 1 and was followed by Locatelli from 4th on the grid. Bautista was 3rd, a jump-starting Iannone 4th and Razgatlioglu down to 5th from pole position.
Predictably, Razgatlioglu’s fightback began on lap 2, passing Bautista for 4th at turn 1. He did not really need to pass Iannone on-track who would soon be docked with a double long-lap penalty (far from his first this year) but did so anyway at the penultimate chicane of the Estoril track later on lap 2.
There followed a forceful move on Locatelli by Razgatlioglu at the final chicane, which Iannone also took advantage of. It was not long before the Italian departed the fight but Bautista and Locatelli had passed him before he dived off the racing line for his penalty.
By this stage, Bulega was already 1.5 seconds clear of Razgatlioglu. Surprisingly, the gap did not come down and later in the race Razgatlioglu was caught by the trackside cameras shaking his head as he came out of the last 2 corners.
It appeared that the hot conditions were causing Razgatlioglu to struggle for rear grip and he had to settle for 2nd place 5 seconds down on a jubilant Bulega. The race was hardly a classic, but it reignited hope that Bulega was not yet down and out in 2025 as he and Bautista sealed the Teams’ Championship for aruba.it Racing – Ducati.
Rinaldi and Tarran Mackenzie both crashed out while Lecuona slid out with 8 laps to go. The fight for the final podium spot was a more muted affair once Alex Lowes (who started 10th) passed Locatelli for 4th on lap 5 but was unable to catch Bautista, as Rea faded to 9th after another promising race start.
Vierge settled in 6th while Gardner and Axel Bassani fought with Rea for 7th. van der Mark was 3 seconds back in 10th and was being caught by Garrett Gerloff and a resurgent Iannone.
The gap now stands at 36 points between Razgatlioglu and Bulega (with BMW and Ducati even closer in the Manufacturers’ Standings) ahead of the Jerez showdown in a week’s time. Should Bulega prevail in Race 1, the championship will go down to the final day, and the battle for 3rd overall has intensified as Danilo Petrucci’s absence this weekend saw him lose positions to Bautista and Locatelli in the standings.
Race 2 Results
Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK
