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Bulega makes it three at the Island

On a scorching day at Phillip Island, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) continued his incredible start to the 2025 season by sweeping all three races at the Australian round.

Tissot Superpole Race Highlights
During an interrupted session, Bulega turned his pole into pure dominance, setting a best lap of 1’28.824. He left rivals Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) in his wake. Ducati’s strength was further underlined as Alvaro Bautista helped lock out the second row ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing). Unfortunately, Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) suffered a crash at Turn 10 that brought out the red flag and ended his weekend with a foot injury.

Race 1 Highlights
Bulega wasted no time converting his pole into an early lead, controlling the race right from the start. He led the opening eight laps before making a timely pit stop for a mandatory tyre change. On Lap 11, he regained the lead and never looked back, cruising to a commanding victory. Although Andrea Iannone looked set to challenge him at the start, a mistake on Lap 2 allowed Bulega to extend his advantage. Toprak Razgatlioglu, who initially gave chase, dropped to fourth before his pit stop, later clawing back to finish second after battling Bautista. Meanwhile, Scott Redding turned a second-row start into a solid top-five finish, and both Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani, marking bimota’s return, rounded out the top ten in eighth and ninth positions respectively. Home favorite Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed at Turn 4 on the opening lap and eventually retired due to a technical issue.

Race 2 Highlights
The Superpole results set the grid for Race 2, and once again Bulega transformed pole into an early lead. He built a gap of around two seconds over Iannone before the mandatory pit stop window opened. Alvaro Bautista, starting from the fourth row, made a strong start but had contact with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) through Turn 2. He recovered well, and by one-third of the race, was fighting for a podium. After an early pit stop for fresh tyres, Bautista surged back into contention, finishing the race just 2.603 seconds behind Bulega. Scott Redding, despite a 2.9-second penalty for a pit intervention error, managed to finish fourth behind Iannone after a very competitive weekend on Ducati. In a tight race-long battle, Danilo Petrucci edged out Sam Lowes for fifth position. Meanwhile, Toprak Razgatlioglu faced technical issues in Race 2 and had to retire.

Championship Highlights
With his first career hat-trick, Bulega now sits with a commanding 26-point lead over teammate Bautista. Andrea Iannone finishes the opening round in third—four points ahead of Petrucci, with Redding just a point further back. Razgatlioglu managed to secure 20 points from Race 1, but his technical issues on Sunday left him unable to add to that tally.

Driver Reactions

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati):
“I’m really happy because this is my first hat-trick in WorldSBK, and it feels amazing to achieve it at my favourite track. I can’t wait to celebrate at home—I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this weekend. My bike was perfect from Monday’s test right through to the last lap of Race 2. I enjoyed every single lap, and I’m confident we can stay competitive in Portimao, even though it won’t be easy with fierce competition from Toprak, Alvaro, and others. I’m determined to maintain this level of performance.”

Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing):
“Today was a great day. I really wanted a podium and learned a lot about tyre management, electronics, and setup during the Superpole race. The race weekend was tough, but it’s fantastic to be back fighting at the front, overtaking competitors, and racing where I belong. In Race 2, I pushed hard from the start, though others were just quicker. I ended up with three top-five finishes, which is something to be proud of. We’re still learning with Ducati, but our team has been amazing.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) – DNF:
“The Superpole race wasn’t ideal for me—I ran into some major issues, though thankfully no one was hurt. The grip and handling seemed to be improving, but technical problems in Race 2 forced me to retire. I don’t start the season on a high note, and this year is no exception, but I’m focused on the next race. We’ve got two days of testing in Portimao that will be crucial for getting the bike right. Everyone’s pushing hard, and I’m confident we’ll see improvements.”

Superpole Race Results

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +2.324s
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +4.923s

Race 2 Results

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.603s
Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +3.980s
Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +8.043s
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +10.009s
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +10.097s

Championship Standings

Nicolo Bulega (ITA) – Ducati – 62 points
Alvaro Bautista (ESP) – Ducati – 36 points
Andrea Iannone (ITA) – Ducati – 35 points

WSSP Booth-Amos clinches his maiden career victory.

Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) showcased his WorldSSP prowess by clinching his first career victory in the class. The former WorldSSP300 winner took charge early on—seizing the lead on Lap 2 and holding it until his mandatory pit stop for a tyre change. After the pack reshuffled, he surged back into the lead on Lap 12 and maintained his advantage to win by less than a second.

The race was packed with incidents. Leading riders collided and crashed, with Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) and Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) meeting at Turn 1 on Lap 11. On the same lap, Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) suffered a high-side at Turn 11, which forced other riders to take evasive action—resulting in Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) losing valuable time and dropping down the order to finish sixth.

Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) fought through the chaos of mid-race incidents to regain podium contention in the final stages. Although he couldn’t challenge Booth-Amos for the win, his second-place finish meant he left Round 1 tied for the points lead with Booth-Amos.

Meanwhile, WorldSSP debutant Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) faced a pit intervention penalty but still managed a commendable top-five finish in fifth place.

P1 – Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing):
“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders to finally get the win. I was happy with my podium last year, but as a racer, you always crave that victory. It feels incredible to achieve that here and to repay my team for all their hard work. I mentioned yesterday that I didn’t expect this weekend after struggling during the test, but the team turned things around and now we’re really in the championship fight. It’s the best possible start, and now we just need to keep building on this momentum and finish the season strong.”