WorldSBK has reached the quarter post and a picture has developed of what we can expect for the rest of the season. Nicolo Bulega and Ducati are the title favourites. Their speed, consistency and confidence has shown they are in the ascendancy while Toprak Razgatlioglu and BMW look to be enduring a more difficult season than expected.
The tea leaves in the paddock point to the reigning World Champion looking for a new challenge in 2026, and while his commitment to the cause can’t be questioned the objective of winning another title for the German marque is a bigger challenge now than it was twelve months ago. Last weekend at the Dutch Round the talk of the paddock was as much about the future as it was the battles on track…
Toprak’s Choice
The rumour mill surrounding Razgatlioglu has only grown stronger over the last few weeks. Toprak is a unique character where money won’t decide his future. His heart is set on MotoGP and he wants to find a way to be on the Grand Prix grid as soon as possible.
Sources within BMW have said that they will offer him the biggest contract in WorldSBK but it will take more than money to ensure they keep the Turkish star. BMW is now, at best, Toprak’s third choice. His first goal is to be in MotoGP next year. His secondary target is to be on the grid in 2027. If he stays in WorldSBK BMW will have to compete with his goal of making history in the class.
Moving to Pramac Yamaha has been an option for Toprak since the hierarchy changes within Yamaha. In the past Lin Jarvis was not interested in WorldSBK as a potential training ground. Now, the links between Yamaha Motor Racing and Yamaha Motor Europe are much closer. Paolo Pavesio’s hiring has brought a Razgatlioglu ally to the fore in Yamaha. It’s possible that he moves to Pramac for next year but that depends on the future of Jack Miller.
If the Yamaha door closes for Toprak, Honda is his next best option. That would likely be dependant on waiting a year. As David Emmett revealed here last Thursday, the chance of Honda buying out Pedro Acosta’s contract, with a release clause of €5-6m, and signing the Spaniard for next year is possible. A Razgatlioglu/Acosta team would be a very strong line-up to start the 850cc era.
As a stopgap for Toprak, he would be forced to ride the Honda Fireblade in WorldSBK next year. On paper it seems like a terrible move but is the Honda any less competitive than BMW was when Toprak signed? He’ll feel that a strong engine and a decent chassis should be enough to let him contend again. If he can bring his crew with him, and why would Honda refuse, Razgatlioglu would have the best of both worlds.
BMW will offer Toprak a massive contract to stay in WorldSBK. It won’t be enough if he has his heart set on making a change.
Pirelli changes for MotoGP and the impact on Toprak
One of the biggest factors in the rumours surrounding Razgatlioglu to MotoGP is that Pirelli will be the tyre supplier in 2027. Having spent time over the weekend digging into what will happen when the Italian manufacturer becomes the sole tyre supplier we can reveal some details.
At Assen the murmurs about the future started to have some concrete detail for the first time. Speaking to Pirelli officials, on the strictest condition of anonymity, some details were revealed. Having taken this information to representatives of manufacturers from the Grand Prix paddock we can reveal that Pirelli has been told they will need to produce tyres “significantly different” to the current range of Superbike tyres.
With MotoGP changing to 850cc engines in 2027 it seems that the significant change between the tyres for both classes will be different profile, rim sizes and structures. At present MotoGP uses 17-inch rims, a change made when Michelin came into the class, to allow crossover into production. When Pirelli arrives, there is a possibility that this could be changed to 16.5-inch rims for the new regulations. At the front we will certainly see a different profile, and possibly a different tyre width. Michelin’s MotoGP tyres run on 17 x 4.00-inch rims, while the Pirellis used in WorldSBK are 17 x 3.50-inch rims.
The agreement to produce tyres without relevance to Superbike was made at the behest of non-superbike manufacturers in MotoGP. This would ensure that KTM and Aprilia aren’t at a disadvantage to the likes of Ducati’s experience with Pirelli rubber. It would also negate Toprak’s experience of the Italian rubber. If the Turkish rider were to move to MotoGP as a rookie in 2027, though, he would still be able to enjoy an extensive year of testing the prototype machinery and tyres.
The final detail revealed also offered some insight into the future of WorldSBK. The goal of the FIM and Dorna is to guarantee a lap time differential of 1.5 to 2 seconds a lap between the two series. The manufacturers have consistently said their aim is to keep 1000cc Superbikes as the flagship of the class, not the much discussed rumour of a switch to Supersport bikes, and if MotoGP and WorldSBK are both using Pirelli tyres this can be achieved in a number of ways.
There has long been little desire by manufacturers to keep qualifying tyres in WorldSBK. It looks almost certain they will be dropped. In addition to this the easiest way to slow Superbikes is to ensure a harder tyre allocation is used and potentially fewer sets of tyres to be made available. This should ensure the prescribed time difference between MotoGP and WorldSBK.
Maiden win for Locatelli
On track the headlines were made by a weekend of firsts. Andrea Locatelli’s victory was the biggest story of the weekend. The Italian is a popular figure in the paddock and given the struggles Yamaha has endured over the last couple of seasons his Race 2 victory was well received. The 2020 WorldSSP champion has enjoyed a solid WorldSBK career. With three seasons inside the top five in the standings and 20 podiums to his name he has shown consistency but now, after 154 starts, Locatelli has finally sprayed the Prosecco from the top step of the podium.
Locatelli’s weekend hinged on a good performance during the Superpole Session. Starting from the second row of the grid for the second consecutive round gave the Yamaha rider a chance of a good weekend. If you qualify on the third or fourth row of the grid your weekend is immediately compromised. The Super Concession upgrades to the Yamaha R1 have helped find a small improvement. WorldSBK is now so competitive that only a small improvement can offer a big step forward. The chassis changes to the R1 have given it more flexibility and a better feeling on the bike. The improvement helped on corner entry but that impacts each stage of the corner and now the exit is stronger too and helps reduce some of the deficit that they have on top speed at flowing circuits like Assen.
The proof of the pudding was visible on track during the races. To be able to come away with podiums in both feature races showed the Yamaha’s performance. Sunday’s effort was one where Loka knew he had to dig in to have a chance to win.
“I tried to push Bulega in Race 2,” commented Locatelli after his win. “I wanted to put him under pressure but it wasn’t easy! We were strong from the start but in the windy conditions I didn’t have the best feeling on the bike. I built my confidence lap by lap and was competitive today. On Saturday everyone was stressed about the front tyre and we destroyed it. In Race 2 things were much better and we made a step with the tyre life. We tried a lot of options this weekend and everything helped to improve the bike. We know that if we start a weekend well we can work on the smaller details.
“I felt good on the bike from the first exit on Friday and that was key to having a strong weekend. Nicolo had his problem so people can say it wasn’t a ‘clean’ victory, but I was there and I was pushing hard. I didn’t make any mistakes and we didn’t have any technical problems. Mechanical problems are a part of our sport. What I could control, I controlled. I controlled my race and my performance and we won.”
For Nicolo Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager, the weekend was one to remember: his first WorldSBK victory in his new role.
“We’ve been working really hard to develop the R1,” explained Canepa. “We saw some improvement and positive signs in Portimão but we had to back that up in Assen. Assen is a unique circuit and we needed to confirm the progress we made. Andrea and his team were fast from the first session, and I’m really happy for Loka because he has been chasing his first victory for a long time. This will boost his confidence and make him realise he is a top player in this championship and can fight for victories and podiums at every race.
“Andrea is the only rider to score points in the nine races so far this year. That’s fantastic for him but for Yamaha because it shows that the bike is performing better. Loka is in full control of the R1 which is good and he’ll go to his home round in Cremona third in the standings. He has a lot of confidence now.”
Interestingly on Speedweek.com, always a reliable source is insider Superbike news, Ivo Schützbach interviewed Andrea Dosoli. The Italian confirmed that Yamaha had initially planned to bring engine upgrades to the table as their Super Concession, but cost reasons meant they later decided to focus on chassis upgrades. On the basis of Portimão and Assen this has been a decision that has paid off in spades.
Bulega’s misfortune, Toprak’s struggles
A weekend of pure domination for Ducati and Nicolo Bulega ended with one win, two retirements and their championship advantage reduced by eight points.
It was a very unusual weekend. Bulega was fast throughout and romped to a Race 1 victory. His tyre management and pace was incredible. Further wins looked assured. Instead Sunday was a day of failure. Technical failure to be precise.
Bulega ground to a halt while leading both the Superpole Race and Race 2. Sources within Ducati confirmed to GPOne after the Dutch Round that it was a crankshaft sensor failure on both occasions. Everything in modern day racing is governed by sensors, and while the bike is upright and stable in the pit garage it can sometimes not replicate the problems faced on track. Bulega and Ducati learned this to their cost on Sunday.
“It wasn’t easy to accept this,” admitted Bulega. “I was in good shape and I was riding a strong race with lots of overtaking moves from tenth on the grid in Race 2. It was a fun race but with just two laps to go the bike stopped for the second time today. It felt the same in both races because when I upshifted on the straight, the engine died. I dominated this weekend but points aren’t given until you finish the race. I’ll go home with confidence and I know we were competitive.”
The retirement from the Superpole Race ensured Bulega lined up tenth on the grid. It gave him the chance to battle his way through the field and while he moved forward his title rival moved backwards. Razgatlioglu had a miserable weekend in Assen. His victory in the Superpole Race marked his first wet weather win but the weekend was one where Bulega assessed “it was obvious he wasn’t as strong as in Portimão but I wasn’t really paying attention to him. I just wanted to get to the front as quickly as possible and win.”
For a rare occasion Razgatlioglu was vulnerable to attack throughout the races. Tyre consumption was the problem in Race 1 while a rear blister was the issue in Race 2.
“Eighth place was the best possible result,” said Toprak. “I thought that by using the harder rear tyre it would give me an advantage towards the end of the race. I was surprised that it blistered. It was a tough weekend and Nicolo was very strong here. Without the technical problems, he would have won all three races. Eighth was the best possible I could do because the bike wasn’t working. I won’t criticise my team because it’s not their fault. It’s the rules. They were changed for this year and everything is now different for me. Every corner felt different compared to last year. We won’t give up and we’ll keep trying to improve.”
Assen was the first round where the teams didn’t test in advance. It hurt BMW more than most, and while Toprak dodged a bullet to claw back some points to Bulega, it’s clear he faces a very difficult challenge in 2025 from the Ducati rider.
First pole and podium for Sam Lowes
After an injury hit rookie season Marc VDS Ducati rider Sam Lowes has enjoyed a strong start to the season. His first career Superpole at Assen showed a turn of one lap speed that came as little surprise. Qualifying has been a strength of Lowes since joining the WorldSBK grid and while his pole position was the headline maker Sunday’s performance was the proof of his progress.
A Race 1 crash, where Alvaro Bautista collected him at Turn 9, saw the day end in disappointment but overall it was a good day for Lowes and the team.
“Obviously I was very happy to take pole position,” said Lowes. “It was a great moment for me and the team but Race 1 was tough. I’m not a kid and I’ve been on both sides of situations like this. Alvaro is a World Champion and he’s had a lot of good races. He just wanted to get past quickly. I’m not going to tear him apart for a mistake because that’s our sport. It happens and we’re all racing on the limit all the time. It was easy to get to sleep that night because I didn’t make a mistake and I knew that with the harder front tyre the race would’ve come to me.”
Starting from pole position in a wet ten lap Superpole Race meant the pressure on. A quick start but a mistake at Turn 1 dropped the former Moto2 title contender to tenth on the opening tour. From that point onwards he made progress and by mid-race he was running in the podium positions.
“Sunday was tough because I knew that there was pressure to get my first podium this weekend. I had the pace and I had the pole position so I had to get a good start to avoid being in the pack…I made the start but I made a mistake at the first corner. I locked the front a couple of times into Turn 1 and I just thought, ‘oh no!’ I fell back but I fought back through. It wasn’t easy in the wet and the last two laps were tough. I knew we’d be strong in the wet conditions and we had a good race and finished on the podium.”
In Race 2 Lowes, starting from the middle of the front row behind Razgatlioglu, had another strong performance and came away with a fourth place finish. Taking the pole position and a top five finish showed the progress that he has made.
A big factor in this was a change of crew chief over the winter. Bringing in Gorka Segura from Team HRC, where he had worked with Xavi Vierge, has helped improve the dynamic within the garage. Segura has been a cool-headed presence within the garage but, most important for Lowes, he backs his rider.
The relationship between a rider and his crew chief is such a personal one. When you work together so closely with one another you need to have total faith and belief in each other. What works with one rider may not work with another. What works with one crew chief may not work with another. Finding a way to communicate and build the relationship is critical.
“I felt comfortable this weekend and could do what I wanted to do on the bike,” continued Lowes. “It’s been a good weekend for me. We’ve made changes to the bike and the team this year with the bike spec now closer to the factory. Gorka joined over the winter and he’s helped me feel more comfortable by changing my seating position and giving me what I need. My setting is now closer to Petrucci or Bulega than Alvaro which is good, and we’re just making small changes rather than trying to make big ones.”
Lowes is primed and ready to go from strength to strength this year.
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