Wow! Sometimes one word sums up a race weekend. WorldSBK offers three bites of the cherry for riders and teams to do battle. Sometimes not even three races for the Superbike class feels like enough. At the Portuguese Round we saw Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega deliver the best racing we’ve seen anywhere in 2025.
If you’re not watching you’re missing out
There are many criticisms that are kicked in the direction of WorldSBK. The calendar is a common one. The wait between Round 1 and Round 2 was five weeks. Fans grew impatient and MotoGP returned to television sets around the world. Fans were intrigued by Marc Marquez moving to the factory Ducati squad. How would Pecco react to this? Would the Marc and Alex show be the story of the season?
The opening two rounds of the year offered intrigue but not excitement. Changeable conditions in COTA have given us plenty to talk about but if it wasn’t for Marc’s crash on Sunday how would you feel about the race?
Just a few hours before the lights went out at the Grand Prix of the Americas we witnessed one of the best head to head battles you’ll see on two wheels. Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega delivered three incredible races at Portimão. Neither deserved to lose those races but races are settled on the track. Toprak’s hat-trick was sublime, but even so Bulega was the rider earning the plaudits.
In the Grand Prix paddock he was a curiosity. He was highly regarded and came in as a much heralded VR46 Academy star. He was always expected to be a factory Ducati rider…although in 2015 it was probably expected that he’d be the rider alongside Marquez now. Instead his career took a winding path to the front of the Superbike field.
Bulega is unflappable. He walks through the paddock looking to make as few waves as possible. He has a job to do and he’s focused on it. He doesn’t seek the limelight. He is the antithesis of the Superbike Showman Razgatlioglu. They are a contrast like fire and water, but on the race track opposites attract. They are focused on each other for the long haul this year.
Last year Razgatlioglu’s dominance was easy to appreciate. He is the best rider on the grid. He is a Super Concession all of his own. He can win on any bike and bend the laws of physics. To see him deliver his performances is the same as watching and assessing Marquez.
However, what we really want to see is the top dog tested. Bulega can do that against Razgatlioglu. In front of 50,000 fans throughout the weekend they lit up Round 2. If you can get to a race this year it should be to WorldSBK. Having an open paddock means you can get in and rub shoulders with the riders. You can have a chat or grab a selfie. The access in WorldSBK is more open and welcoming than MotoGP. The action on track is also more exciting.
Bulega versus Toprak
The battle in Portimão was all about Nicolo Bulega trying to find a way to get past, and stay in front of, Toprak Razgatlioglu. The pair went bar to bar throughout the course of three races and could only be separated by a split second in each outing. )It was stunning racing and showed that Bulega is the real deal on a Superbike.
Last year Toprak was told by those closest to him that Bulega was “getting a Superbike education” and that he’d be the challenger in 2025. Time has proven this correct and in Portimão he came of age. His start to the campaign has been nothing short of stunning and while they have both shared three wins apiece Bulega leads the title fight.
“Toprak seemed to be a little bit more comfortable than me,” assessed Bulega. “He was able to maintain his pace and I was a bit more on the limit. I gave it my all and I’m happy because racing like this gives me a boost in confidence. I’ve learned a lot. Toprak is always strong in Portimão, and I’m happy to be able to fight with him. This is only my second season; Toprak has been around much longer. He has a lot of experience and I’ve a lot to learn. I’ll try again in Assen!”
Bulega’s maturity and race craft on the bike hasn’t gone unnoticed. Neither did the presence of his manager. Ducati said on the quiet that it was 99% certain that Bulega will re-sign for 2026. The Italian has said that he still eyes a return to the Grand Prix paddock. The switch to Pirelli tyres and new regulations for 2027 could make that an appealing prospect but regardless of his Superbike form it’s hard to see how a move to MotoGP materialises. The identity of his teammate for 2026 is arguably the more interesting topic because Alvaro Bautista is struggling to justify his position within Ducati.
For Razgatlioglu the talk in Portimão was also about his MotoGP prospects. Reports in Turkey were spread like the truth by European media but Toprak was quick to rubbish any speculation of a MotoGP move for next year. The reports had plenty of detail, wild-card appearances included, but speaking to Speedweek Toprak quickly quelled any such talk. Whether or not the long held rumour of his move to MotoGP coming via an extra year in WorldSBK remains to be seen.
One thing that was seen was the performance on track. Once again Razgatlioglu proved his box office credentials with his hat-trick and stunning battle with Bulega.
“Bulega was fast through the final corner,” said Toprak. “I was focusing on being smooth in the final two corners on the last lap. Race 1 was tough but we won. I was on the limit and lost the front a few times. The Ducati has an advantage over us on the exit of the corners because it accelerates very well and has more grip than my bike.
“When I was riding behind Bulega, I saw everything and learned a lot. The Ducati has advantages over us in many areas on this track. It’s not just the bike though because Nico is very strong. He pushes hard and he is doing a great job. There are many other Ducati riders but only Nicolo is at the front. When I first passed him, I tried to pull away but couldn’t.
“Three wins and the Superpole means I’ve taken everything we could from this weekend. We’ve improved but I had to push really hard here. After Phillip Island, I needed wins to gain motivation. I’m very happy with my team’s work.”
Locatelli impress for Yamaha
While Toprak and Bulega stole the show the Portuguese plaudits went to Andrea Locatelli. The Yamaha rider was super impressive to come away with a podium in Race 1 and three top five finishes across the weekend.
Yamaha has new parts on the bike. For the first time they have used their Super Concession parts, a chassis with adjusted flex compared to the regular frame, and it has helped to find some improvements. The added grip and confidence hasn’t helped Loka to find more power from the engine but it has allowed him to exit the corner faster and easier which helps on the straight.
“My feeling with the new parts are quite good,” smiled Locatelli. “I had confidence over the 20 laps, and what we changed on the bike for me is working well. There weren’t any negative effects from the changes here. The chassis is basically the same; only the stiffness has been changed in certain areas. My job is to ride the bike and describe what I feel and give the Yamaha guys as much feedback to understand it.
“This has been a really positive weekend. The feeling I had with the bike makes me positive and we can be proud of what we achieved. I have a really good feeling with the bike now and can be fast with it. We have to keep believing that we can achieve more. We need to keep working hard because I’m convinced we can be at the front. Assen is next and this has always been a good track for me. Nobody thought we could achieve a podium finish here but we worked hard. If we improve a little more, then I can fight for victories.”
While Loka is eyeing victories, his teammate, Jonathan Rea, is eyeing his comeback. Rea’s injury will rule him out this weekend in Assen too but in Portimão he gave an update on his condition. The biggest risk is to come back too soon and with a quarter of the season gone Rea is now planning on getting back when he is at full fitness and the risk is minimised.
“There were three displaced fractures and a ligament injury,” said Rea. “I have plates and three screws and I’m not putting any weight on it yet. I think that I could now because I’m ahead of schedule but we’re approaching this cautiously because the injury is in a sensitive area. We need to make sure everything in my foot functions properly again afterward.
“The pain is gone now so I’m keeping an eye on the swelling. It’s fine in the morning, but the blood flow during the day causes the foot to swell, which brings back the pain. Friday marks five weeks since the operation, and I’m in good shape. But I still have a way to go. I’ll meet my surgeon on this week and we’ll make a decision about when I’ll be back.”
Yamaha’s podium in Portimão, and Locatelli’s weekend, showed promise but they’re keen to get their six times champion back on the bike.
Redding and Bautista
Saturday’s race started with a bang. It came at Turn 4 on the opening lap of the race and it ended with Alvaro Bautista in the gravel trap. With Scott Redding also dusting himself off it already looks like the biggest casualty was Bautista’s title hopes.
The riders had different opinions on the incident. Bautista blamed Redding while the Englishman simply said “I don’t actually know what happened.” Redding wanted to see a replay of the incident while Bautista simply saw red. Having qualified on the third row it was put to Bautista that the incident stemmed from his failure to qualify better.
“The problem wasn’t that I started from the midfield,” said the Aruba.it Ducati rider. “The problem is that there are riders who don’t think. Riders like that want to make up as much as possible in the first few corners but they’re not alone on the track. There are other riders on track. Scott’s been criticising me for the past few years. Now he has the same bike as me and he keeps going. The only way he knows how to handle it is to push me off. He should be careful with all the riders on the same brand as him, especially the factory riders.”
It was a startling comment from Bautista and showed his frustration. The challenge for Bautista in 2025 doesn’t come from Redding; it comes from within. His struggles in qualifying have been well documented. He has had one front row Superpole performance since the start of last season and that won’t get the job done against Razgatlioglu and Bulega. The pressure is ever increasing on Bautista and it spilled over this weekend.
For Redding the incident was as unclear as it was for the rest of the paddock. With no clear footage of the incident it seemed like a clear racing incident. Redding, usually quite honest and quick to hold his hand up for an incident, was nonplussed by Bautista.
“I heard Alvaro say I had knocked him off,” said Redding. “It’s very strange because from the beginning I saw it as a racing accident. I was surprised and confused by what happened. Alvaro was on the outside of Gardner and me and wanted to cross the line at the exit of the corner. He should have seen me when he changed direction. Should I turn right and look for him?
“We don’t have the best relationship, but I don’t plan on knocking other drivers out of the race. I have no idea what happened, but of course it’s my fault. I’m here to race, not for childish complaints. That’s not being an adult. I want to be friends with him, but he makes me hate him every day.”
Can Öncü injury story
Maturity and perspective has arrived for Can Öncü. Seven years ago the Turkish rider was earmarked as a man for the future. From his Talent Cup days to a Red Bull Rookies title in 2018, he was a talent. Blowing the doors off the field at a wet and wild Valencia Grand Prix on his Moto3 debut only heightened expectation.
Unfortunately, Öncü hasn’t been able to live up to those expectations. He’s been a serviceable and at times spectacular rider in WorldSSP. The new Yamaha R9 might let his talents shine in his sixth season in the class. A pole position and Race 1 victory showed his potential. A Race 2 crash showed he’s still got work to do.
A crash at Assen in 2023 looked like it might have been a career ending injury. Barely able to hold onto the bike when he came back, he’s rebuilt his body and now he’s getting the rewards. With this success, though, he has shown a different side. He now has a perspective that only comes from tough times. The darkness that enveloped his mental state can’t be underestimated but now he’s free to show everyone how good he is again.
“This has been very emotional for me,” said Öncü after his Race 1 victory. “After the accident in Assen I thought it was all over. Kenan always pushed me to never give up. We had to start again from scratch. Every day I wanted to give up but he pushed me even harder. I knew we had the opportunity to improve this year, and that’s why I’m working so hard.
“The team and Yamaha have also been working like crazy to make the bike as good as possible. We now have to take it step by step. But to win here is incredible, I want to thank everyone: Kenan, Yamaha, the team, everyone! Overall, it was a truly brilliant weekend, with pole and the win in race 1. Unfortunately, in the second race, I lost the front and crashed. Unfortunately, I made a mistake, and I’m sorry about that, but we can look to the future with great optimism, knowing we’re among the fastest on the track.”
KOVE wins with Fernandez
Benat Fernandez; remember the name. What we saw last weekend from the 17 year old Spaniard was stunning. Making his debut Fernandez took pole position, broke the lap record and walked away with the victory in Race 2. The Supersport300 class has been much criticised and poked about over the years but Fernandez showed the hallmarks of the great champions with his debut weekend. WorldSSP300 has produced Manuel Gonzalez and Adrian Huertas so it’s not to be underestimated when a rider makes the paddock sit up and take notice.
“It’s been a really tough winter for us,” said Team#109 Team Manager Paul Tobin. “Our testing programme was limited because we received the material quite late. We knew that Benat would be fast this weekend and could be inside the top eight but what he did exceeded any expectation. It was incredible to take pole position on his debut but to do what he did in Race 1 was even better.
“It’s such an aggressive class to race in so his composure was very good. He made some mistakes but he missed out on the podium by 0.003s. We broke down the race with the video and the data and we showed him a few things he could do with his riding to improve things. On Sunday morning in the Warm-Up he went out and broke the lap record!
“In Race 2 he made another good start which is a big benefit. Comparing his 0-100 km/h time he was faster than the data we have seen from our previous riders. Sunday’s race was more aggressive than Race 1 but he acquitted himself very well and stayed at the front throughout. He could challenge all the way through the race because he was in the front group. The whole team is so excited but we’re keeping our feet on the ground and our only target is the Superpole session in Assen.”
When you break down his performance it was remarkable. In the 300’s Gonzalez set the tone for staying in the lead group. Fernandez showed a calculating head to do the same. In Race 1 he never dropped outside the top six and in Race 2 it was a similar story with Lap 3 until the close inside the top five.
Portimão might be the high water weekend for Fernandez. It might be the one sterling weekend we see from the Basque rider. He might have a tougher time in Assen. On the basis of a rider that spent all but one lap inside the top six I’d say it’s unlikely to be the last we see him in 2025.
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