The 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship kicked off with a thrilling Race 1 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia on Saturday, where Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) put on a stellar performance, claiming victory with a commanding lead of nearly five seconds over his rivals.
Bulega, the 2024 runner-up, capitalized on his Tissot Superpole win and held off the rest of the grid to claim the holeshot. The Italian sophomore star crossed the finish line with a margin of 4.811s ahead of 2024 World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who secured second place.
Speaking about his dominant performance, Bulega said, “I have to be honest: with the team, we did a great job, and since the first day of testing, the level of our performance was very high. Replicating all these things in the race is another story. For this reason, I am delighted, but there is still much to do this weekend”.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) displayed a courageous ride, battling with the Ducati Panigale V4R machines of Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, and Scott Redding. Despite losing some ground due to a yellow flag incident involving Iannone, Bautista managed to secure the final spot on the podium.
“I am delighted with how we started the season, definitely better than last year,” Bautista commented. “I found a good feeling with the bike again, but during the race, I suffered a little bit from the strong wind. I also lost some ground because I had to give the position back to Iannone, who had slowed down because of a yellow flag. In any case, it’s a result that makes me happy. It was a solid race, and tomorrow, we will try to take a step forward”.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) showcased his composure, weathering assaults from a resurgent Scott Redding and rival Andrea Iannone to finish fourth and claim the top Independent rider spot. Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing), returning to Ducati, showed glimpses of his 2021 form, briefly taking third place before settling for fifth.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) carried the Yamaha flag, finishing seventh ahead of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). Lowes’s eighth place and teammate Axel Bassani’s ninth place atop the new KB998 Rimini marked a strong start for the returning manufacturer.
Rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished as the top newcomer in 13th, while Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the top Honda rider in 11th. The race saw its share of incidents, with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) all failing to finish due to crashes or technical issues.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is already hard at work ahead of Sunday’s Superpole Race (3.00 am CEST) and Race 2 (6.00 am CEST), with Bulega and Bautista looking to build on their strong start to the season.
The top six from WorldSBK’s Race 1 in Australia:
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +4.811s
- Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.108s
- Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +6.813s
- Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) +6.986s
- Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) +7.548s
