Bulega Snatches Victory at the Line to Split Wins with Razgatlioglu

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Over 55,000 fans packed into the Autodrom Most for a dramatic weekend of World Superbike racing, where Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) edged out Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) by just 0.027 seconds in Race 2, capping off an epic 22-lap duel between the two title contenders.

Race 2 Summary

Starting from pole, Razgatlioglu quickly found himself chasing Bulega, who led for the opening 11 laps. But the BMW rider made his move at Turn 17, grabbing the lead—only for Bulega to counter-attack immediately at Turn 1. The pair swapped positions again as Razgatlioglu launched a bold move at Turn 2.

The closing laps saw Bulega pile on the pressure, shadowing Razgatlioglu relentlessly. Then, on the final lap, the Ducati rider timed his exit from Turn 21 perfectly, using better traction to out-drag his rival to the line and claim his eighth win of the season.

Behind them, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) chased down and eventually passed Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), replicating his Race 1 move to secure third place for the second time on Sunday.

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) battled for much of the race, with Gardner eventually pulling clear to round out the top five.

Reigning champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started fifth but became entangled in a clash with Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha), who was penalized with a double long lap for the incident. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was also forced to retire due to the crash. Rea recovered to finish 13th.

Championship Picture

Bulega leaves Most with a 31-point lead in the standings, dropping only three points to Razgatlioglu over the weekend.

Petrucci’s trio of podium finishes moves him up to third overall, five points clear of Bautista.

In the manufacturers’ standings, Ducati now leads BMW by 58 points.

Next Stop: Misano

The action continues with the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, taking place from June 13–15 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Rider Reactions

🏁 P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

“It’s been a rollercoaster weekend. Friday’s crash was tough, but we turned it around. The team worked hard to improve the bike, and it felt much better today. This circuit doesn’t usually suit my style, so to win here means a lot. I’m proud of how we bounced back and hope we can keep this momentum at Misano.”

🥈 P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)

“I followed Nicolo early on and took the lead when I felt ready. But in the final laps, I had too much wheelspin out of the last corner—it cost me the win. I gave everything this weekend. It’s frustrating, but we still had strong results. Thanks to my team and all the fans.”

🥉 P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team)

“That was a tough race. Sam was quick and we were matching each other lap for lap. I told myself I had to be ready when the chance came, and when he made a mistake, I took it. I’m happy with three podiums and proud of how the team is performing.”

Race 2 Results – WorldSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Ducati)
Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) +0.027s
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Ducati) +16.276s
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS) +16.452s
Remy Gardner (Yamaha) +20.703s
Axel Bassani (Kawasaki) +21.774s
Fastest Lap: Razgatlioglu – 1’30.379s

Tissot Superpole Sprint

In the ten-lap Superpole Race, Bulega took the lead early, but a mistake at Turn 1 on Lap 3 allowed Razgatlioglu to storm past. The Turkish rider never looked back, extending his lead to over a second and taking the 12 points up for grabs.

Petrucci spent the opening laps fighting with Alex Lowes before Sam Lowes overtook his brother and chased Petrucci to the flag.

Bautista, starting from the fourth row, made rapid progress and climbed into the top six by Lap 1. He passed Iker Lecuona on the final lap to finish fifth.

Superpole Sprint Results

Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW)
Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) +1.917s
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Ducati) +5.943s

WorldSSP: Oncu Claims Race 2 After Masia Crashes From the Lead

Pole-sitter Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) converted his qualifying pace into an early lead, running up front for seven laps. But disaster struck on Lap 12 when he crashed while chasing Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team), ending his race.

Oncu had been in podium contention all race and took command in the closing stages, stretching a gap to finish 1.7 seconds clear and secure his third victory of the season.

Lucas Mahias (GMT94-Yamaha) finished second thanks to a smart tyre strategy—his harder SC1 rear tyre paid dividends late in the race.

Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) took his first podium of the year with a strong ride, finishing ahead of Marcel Schroetter in what was the best showing of the season for both Germans.

After crashing in Race 1, Stefano Manzi struggled to find pace and ended Race 2 in sixth.

WorldSSP Championship Outlook

Despite a low-scoring weekend, Manzi retains a 40-point lead over Bendsneyder.

Oncu’s strong Czech Round brings him within nine points of third-placed Tom Booth-Amos.

Yamaha continues to dominate the Manufacturers’ standings with an 85-point advantage, while Ducati and MV Agusta have overtaken Triumph.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results

Can Oncu (Yamaha)
Lucas Mahias (Yamaha) +1.706s
Philipp Oettl (Ducati) +3.643s
Marcel Schroetter +4.956s
Valentin Debise +5.081s
Stefano Manzi +6.494s
Fastest Lap: Jaume Masia – 1’34.338s (New Lap Record)

WorldSSP300: Buis Strikes Back in Wet-Dry Sprint

Rain just before the Supersport 300 Race 2 led to a shortened ten-lap race and caused chaos on the grid as riders scrambled to choose tyres. Czech hopeful Petr Svoboda gambled on wets, but the track dried quickly and he was forced to retire.

A thrilling nine-rider battle raged to the finish. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing), who crashed out of Race 1, timed his run out of the final corner perfectly to secure the win.

Benat Fernandez (Kove) nearly stole it on the slipstream but had to settle for second, with Humberto Maier (Yamaha) a close third—only a tenth of a second covered the podium.