Race 2 Highlights

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) delivered the perfect response at MotorLand Aragon, converting pole position into a flawless Race 2 victory. From the very first corner, the Italian hit the front and set the tone for what would become a statement win.

As throughout the weekend, it was a head-to-head with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) that defined the early stages. Every time the Turkish ace launched an attack and briefly edged ahead, Bulega bit straight back, refusing to let the BMW man control proceedings. Lap after lap the pair traded blows, but crucially, Bulega never relinquished the lead at the start-finish line.

The duel came to a head on Lap 12. Pushing to the limit, Razgatlioglu ran wide at Turn 7, a rare mistake from the reigning champion. Bulega pounced instantly, opening up a one-second margin. From there his pace was relentless and consistent, stretching his advantage to over three seconds by the chequered flag. The final gap: 3.2 seconds.

Behind them, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) endured another tough opening lap, slipping back to sixth. The double World Champion regrouped, and by Lap 4 he was already back into third. Once in clean air Bautista was lapping at a strong pace, but the deficit to Bulega and Razgatlioglu was too much to claw back. He had to settle for third, 1.7s shy of the BMW.

Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) made another electric start from the second row, vaulting into podium contention in the opening laps. When Bautista inevitably came through, the Italian switched to defence mode, fighting hard against Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). That battle raged until the flag, with Iannone holding fourth after Lowes crashed out in the penultimate lap while running sixth.

Race 2 Top 6:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +3.248s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +4.973s
4. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +12.904s
5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +13.521s
6. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +16.102s

Championship Picture

Razgatlioglu remains in control of the standings, but his lead has been trimmed. With Bulega taking maximum points from both Sunday races, the gap between them now sits at 36. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) continues to hold third, 30 points ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha). Bautista’s pair of podiums this weekend means he is just one point further back.

In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Ducati’s Sunday double allows the Bologna brand to reclaim the top spot. They now lead BMW by six points, with six races left in the season.

Rider Reactions

P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati):
“I’m really happy because I needed these two wins today. It was very difficult as Toprak was always strong and aggressive, so I focused on staying with him and responding to his overtakes. It was a fantastic weekend with two great races and battles. Yesterday I wasn’t fully happy because the bike wasn’t perfect, but thanks to my team we improved it, and today I was faster and able to take the wins.”

P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team):
“It has been a hard weekend but there is one very positive thing: I finally won in Aragon. We took some very good points this weekend and in Race 2 I was pushing hard but made a mistake at Turn 7. Anyway, finishing second still gives us strong points for the Championship. Now I am looking ahead to Estoril, where I am normally very strong but we will see there.”

P3 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati):
“It has been a positive Sunday. After yesterday’s crash it was important to finish the races today. I felt quite good with the bike in the Superpole Race but in the afternoon I lost some positions at the start. When I was third the gap to Toprak and Nicolo wasn’t too big but it wasn’t easy to close them down. Today we could not take risks so the priority was to finish and regain confidence with the bike. I am happy to be on the podium. Of course I would prefer to fight for victories but with our current situation this is the maximum we can achieve.”

Tissot Superpole Race

Earlier in the day, the ten-lap sprint produced another dramatic duel between Bulega and Razgatlioglu. Starting from pole, Bulega grabbed the holeshot, but Razgatlioglu struck back at Turn 15 on Lap 2 — a corner that would prove to be his favoured hunting ground.

The BMW rider fought tooth and nail, but crucially only crossed the line ahead on two occasions. Each time Bulega retaliated, shadowing his rival and lining up a decisive last-lap move. At the final corner, the Ducati man dived inside, using the superior drive of the V4R to edge Razgatlioglu by just 0.105 seconds at the flag.

Alvaro Bautista salvaged a podium after his Race 1 disappointment, while Andrea Iannone again got the better of Sam Lowes late on to finish fourth. The final point went to Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who emerged from a four-rider scrap separated by half a second.

Superpole Race Top 3:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.105s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.703s

Championship Standings (after Aragon)

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) – 523 pts
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 487 pts
3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) – 284 pts

WorldSSP: Oncu Denies Manzi in a Thriller

Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) produced one of the most determined performances of his career to snatch a breathtaking Race 2 victory at Aragon. In a 15-lap contest dominated by relentless slipstream battles, the Turkish rider resisted a last-corner attack from Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) to win by just 0.027 seconds — one of the closest finishes of the season.

The race unfolded as a seven-rider dogfight, with constant changes of position and no rider able to escape the pack. Oncu played his cards wisely, biding his time and ensuring he was perfectly placed for the decisive final laps. Each time Manzi tried to break clear, Oncu stuck to his rear wheel, waiting for the final sprint to the flag.

Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse), Race 1 winner, was again in the mix despite struggling with braking stability. The Frenchman carved through the group late on and grabbed third, only a tenth shy of the win. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) took fourth, just half a second behind the leader, underlining how closely matched the front group was.

Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) and Xavi Cardelus (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) both featured in the lead group, while a last-corner crash involving two rivals gifted Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) seventh place — and crucially some extra points in his fight for third in the standings.

In the bigger picture, Manzi retains control of the championship. With 100 points still available, the Italian leads Oncu by 60 and could secure the crown as early as the next round at Estoril.

Race 2 Top 6:

1. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) – 1’53.310s
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.027s
3. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.146s
4. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.499s
5. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +2.846s
6. Xavi Cardelus (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +3.731s

Championship Standings:

1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – 380 pts
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) – 360 pts
3. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) – 223 pts

P1 – Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team):
“I’m very happy. After warm-up I knew Manzi and Debise would come and fight. I focused on not making mistakes and waiting for the final laps. Manzi passed me again but I decided to attack on the last straight and to use the slipstream. I wanted to keep him behind in the final corner, which is always tricky. Overall, it was a very good weekend because normally my Aragon rounds are difficult.”

WorldSSP300: Vannucci Dominates After Chaotic Start

Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) finally returned to the top step of the podium, sealing his first win since 2023 with a commanding performance at Aragon. The Italian capitalised on early chaos among the championship contenders and then stormed clear to take victory by over ten seconds.

The drama erupted on Lap 2. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) suffered a highside at Turn 5, leaving Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) nowhere to go and triggering a multi-rider incident. Later in the same lap, David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) collided with Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) at Turn 14, further shaking up the order.

Those crashes opened the door for Vannucci. Once in clean air, he immediately pulled a two-second gap, and with the chasing pack locked in their own battle, he stretched the advantage to double digits. It was a statement ride, re-establishing the Italian as a race winner after a season of frustration.

Behind him, the fight for the podium went down to the wire. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) and Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) emerged from a frantic 18-rider scrap to complete the rostrum, finishing just 0.047 seconds apart. Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing), Jakob Rosenthaler (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing), and Pepe Osuna (ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) all crossed the line within a tenth of Maier, underlining how fierce the battle was.

There was heartbreak for Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove). Running strongly, he was forced to serve a Long Lap Penalty on the penultimate lap for track limits, which dropped him outside the points. He clawed his way back to ninth, only to be hit with a further place penalty for another track limits breach on the final lap.

Despite that setback, Fernandez actually strengthened his grip on the championship. By scoring while many of his closest rivals faltered, he extended his lead to 13 points over Salvador, with just a handful of races remaining.

Race 2 Top 6:

1. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300)
2. Loris Veneman (EAB Racing Team) +10.135s
3. Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) +10.182s
4. Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing) +10.273s
5. Jakob Rosenthaler (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +10.374s
6. Pepe Osuna (ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) +10.401s

Championship Standings:

1. Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) – 13-point lead over Salvador
2. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI)
3. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) – climbing after his podium finish

P1 – Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300):
“Before the race, I didn’t think I could do it. We improved the suspension and tried many changes, even changing the bike before the race, and it worked. I’m very happy and want to thank AG Motorsport Italia, my team, for working so well all weekend. Overall, it has been a fantastic weekend, and with this victory, it feels amazing.”

Images WorldSBK