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MotorLand Aragon has long been a bogey track for Toprak Razgatlioglu, but that hoodoo is now over. After 18 breathless laps, the Turkish ace delivered a masterclass of control and determination to secure his first-ever victory at the Spanish circuit, beating Nicolo Bulega by just 0.030s in one of the tightest finishes of the season. Sam Lowes completed the podium, with less than a second covering the top three riders at the chequered flag.

Race 1: Blow-by-Blow

Launching from pole, Bulega immediately grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, but the lead didn’t last long. A firm move from Razgatlioglu allowed the BMW star to muscle ahead. From there, the opening laps set the tone for a fierce duel: Toprak’s BMW was rock-solid through the first two sectors but constantly vulnerable through the sweeping final corners, where Bulega’s Ducati had a clear edge. Lap after lap the Italian used that advantage to sling a move into Turn 1, only for Toprak to strike straight back.

Behind them, Sam Lowes quickly elevated himself into third and settled into a watching brief. The Brit didn’t quite have the raw speed to launch an attack on the front two but clung on throughout, showing both patience and composure. All three podium men opted for the harder front tyre, a choice that paid off late in the race as lap times remained strong in the closing stages.

Elsewhere, reigning Champion Álvaro Bautista’s hopes of a fightback were dashed. While pushing hard in pursuit of Danilo Petrucci, the Spaniard crashed at Turn 15 with six laps remaining, handing Petrucci a lonely ride to fourth. It was the eighth time this year that the Italian veteran has finished in that exact position. Alex Lowes recovered to fifth, while Andrea Iannone brought his Ducati home in sixth after an early scrap inside the top seven.

Championship Picture

Toprak’s victory carries extra weight in the bigger story of the season:

Razgatlioglu now leads the Riders’ Championship by 44 points.
Petrucci strengthened his grip on third in the standings, stretching the gap to Andrea Locatelli to 28 points.
BMW celebrated a milestone by moving to the top of the Manufacturer’s table for the first time in 2025. They now hold a slender two-point edge over Ducati.

Rider Reactions

P1 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW):
“I’m really happy because this is my first win in Aragon. It was a very tough race. Ducati had a big advantage in the last corner and on the long straight, but I pushed at the maximum every lap. The bike still isn’t perfect — we need to improve in some areas — but my team is working incredibly hard. I’ll stay calm, and tomorrow I’ll try again to win.”

P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Ducati):
“Congratulations to Toprak and BMW. We fought hard, and honestly sometimes I was faster, sometimes he was faster. I lost too much time on the first metres after corner exits, so that’s the main area we’ll try to fix for tomorrow. If we can improve that, I believe we can fight even stronger.”

P3 – Sam Lowes (Marc VDS):
“The pace was strong at the end, and in the middle of the race we were all conserving ourselves. I’m really pleased with how consistent I was, even though I didn’t quite have the tools to fight with the front two. Riding with them taught me a lot. This has been my level all weekend, so I’m proud of what the team achieved. Special thanks to Mark, who’s here this weekend — nice to give him this result.”

Race 1 Results – WorldSBK

Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW)
Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) +0.030s
Sam Lowes (Marc VDS Ducati) +0.977s
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Ducati) +4.114s
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Bimota) +6.485s
Andrea Iannone (Go Eleven Ducati) +7.427s

Debise’s Long-Awaited Breakthrough

In WorldSSP, it was a day to remember for Valentin Debise. After 89 attempts, the Frenchman finally claimed his maiden victory, outlasting Can Oncu in a 15-lap thriller. The pair traded the lead ten times before Debise sealed the win with a perfectly judged final lap. His margin of victory? Just one tenth of a second.

Oncu’s runner-up finish, combined with Stefano Manzi’s third, gave Yamaha a double podium — a notable achievement on the same weekend that the R9 machine debuted with an 800rpm rev penalty. Philipp Oettl clocked the fastest lap of the race and will therefore line up on pole for Race 2, joined on the front row by Manzi and Filippo Farioli.

Championship Standings Update (WorldSSP):

Manzi still leads by 65 points over Oncu with five races remaining.
Jaume Masia’s sixth place helped him close the gap to Tom Booth-Amos to just eight points, after the Brit was demoted to 16th by a penalty.

P1 – Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse):
“It feels amazing. I’ve been on the podium so many times but never managed to win, so this is very special. The last-corner fight made it even sweeter. Oncu can be aggressive, but today was fair, clean racing. I knew he’d be there every lap, and I’m proud I managed to stay ahead.”

Race 1 Results – WorldSSP

Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) 1’53.213s
Can Oncu (Yamaha Evan Bros) +0.197s
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Yamaha) +3.236s
Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing) +5.842s
Filippo Farioli (MV Agusta) +8.685s
Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing) +10.503s

Thompson Strikes in WorldSSP300

he WorldSSP300 race delivered its usual chaos, with nine lead changes across the 11-lap dash. In the end, Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) executed his race craft to perfection, holding firm in the slipstream battle and timing his move to perfection. It was the Australian’s second victory of the year.

David Salvador crossed the line just 0.037s behind in second, while Benat Fernandez claimed third and extended his lead in the championship. Matteo Vannucci and Juan Risueno rounded out the top five, the latter rewarded with pole for Race 2 thanks to setting the fastest lap.

Championship Standings Update (WorldSSP300):

Fernandez now leads Salvador by seven points.
Thompson’s victory pulls him within 16 points of the top of the table.
Kove leapfrogged Yamaha in the Manufacturers’ fight, though Kawasaki remain well ahead with a 68-point cushion.

P1 – Carter Thompson (Kawasaki):
“The race was fantastic. My pace felt strong, and the team gave me a bike that was perfect for this track. I knew the slipstream would be key, so I saved something for the final lap. I’d been passed earlier on the back straight, so I made sure to position myself better this time. Tomorrow will be another big group race, but I feel confident.”