Bulega Fastest on Day One Despite Turn 9 Crash at Donington

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The 2025 UK Round of WorldSBK kicked off under ideal weather conditions, with clear skies and sweltering temperatures greeting riders at Donington Park—home to the series’ inaugural round back in 1988. With a dry track and blazing sun, Friday’s sessions set the stage for a thrilling weekend of racing, and it was Nicolo Bulega who led the charge—despite a crash in Free Practice 2.

Bulega Recovers from Crash to Set Friday’s Benchmark

Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) shrugged off a dramatic fall at Turn 9 during FP2 to finish the day on top. The 25-year-old Italian lost around 20 minutes of valuable session time while his team worked quickly to repair his Ducati Panigale V4 R. However, he returned to the track with renewed focus, ultimately setting the fastest lap of the day with a 1’26.342s, edging out his closest rivals by nearly two-tenths of a second.

Despite the crash, Bulega seemed unfazed in his post-session comments:

“I came into the corner a bit too fast—my mistake. But now I understand the limit, and that’s valuable. Crashes happen, but you learn from them. The important thing is that I had a good feeling with the bike. It’s not yet perfect, but we made solid progress, and I think tomorrow we can take another step forward.”

Petrucci Keeps Pressure On With Strong Showing

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) ended Friday second overall, continuing his upward trajectory this season. The former MotoGP rider made the most of the hot conditions—unusual for the UK—and was just 0.181 seconds off Bulega’s time. Petrucci acknowledged the challenge of managing tyre degradation in the heat but was satisfied with his pace and positioning heading into Saturday.

“Honestly, I’m not used to this kind of heat in England! But it’s great for the fans. For us riders, though, it means rear tyre management becomes crucial. We’ll have to decide carefully between the tyre options—some work better at the start of the race, others at the end. The field is tight, so qualifying well will be really important.”

Alex Lowes Leads Morning Session, Ends Day in P3

Local hero Alex Lowes (Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) gave the home crowd something to cheer about by setting the fastest time in Free Practice 1 and ending the combined sessions in third. Riding the Bimota at Donington for the first time, Lowes completed an impressive 42 laps, including a 19-lap race simulation in the afternoon—valuable data heading into the weekend.

“It’s always great to be back at Donington, especially when the weather behaves! A lot of my team are Spanish, so they’ve been enjoying this ‘English sunshine.’ We got through a solid workload today, but there’s more to come. The front end of the bike still needs some refinement, but we’re in a good place overall.”

British Contingent Impresses in Front of Home Crowd

Fans at Donington were treated to strong performances from several British riders. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) finished the day in fourth, just 0.249s behind Bulega, while Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing)slotted into seventh. Rising star Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing Ducati) also caught the eye, setting the eighth fastest time of the day and further solidifying his growing reputation.

Razgatlioglu Searching for Setup Improvements

Meanwhile, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) ended the day in fifth, only a quarter of a second off the top but expressing concern over the current setup of his BMW M1000RR. The 2021 World Champion wasn’t satisfied with how the bike was handling the hot and grippy Donington surface.

“It was a tough day. The bike isn’t turning or stopping like I want it to. We made changes in the afternoon to improve things, but it still doesn’t feel right. It’s strange—I’ve never struggled this much at Donington before. We need to figure something out in FP3 tomorrow.”

Friday’s Combined Results After FP2

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 1’26.342
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) – +0.181
Alex Lowes (Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) – +0.202
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) – +0.249
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) – +0.250
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) – +0.282

Supersport: Manzi Snatches First Pole of 2025 in Dramatic Superpole

In the FIM Supersport World Championship, Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) secured his first pole position of the 2025 season in a tense and interrupted Superpole session. The Italian rider delivered his best lap right at the death, edging out his title rival Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) by just 0.101 seconds.

The session had a dramatic start with a red flag just minutes in due to a multi-rider incident. After the restart, Oncu looked in control, setting the early benchmark, but Manzi had other ideas—saving his fastest effort for his final lap. Behind them, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) took third to complete the front row.

Italian wildcard Matteo Casadei (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) continued to impress in his return to the Supersport class, qualifying fourth. He will be joined on the second row by Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) and Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse).

P1 – Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)

“It feels great to bounce back after a tricky weekend at Misano. We had a mix of highs and lows there—I won Race 1 but made a costly error in Race 2. I owe a lot to my team and Yamaha for continuing to support me. They worked hard to give me a strong bike and it paid off today. We’re back where we need to be and I’m excited to start from pole tomorrow.”