MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Niccolo Bulega ended as fastest on the first day of testing for the WorldSBK class of 2025. In dry weather at Jerez, the Aruba.it Ducati rider led GoEleven's Andrea Iannone by nearly half a second. Scott Redding made a welcome return to Ducati, putting his MGM Bonovo bike into third place under a tenth behind Iannone.

Garrett Gerloff, now on the Kawasaki after BMW cut back to two bikes, was fourth fastest after the first day, finishing ahead of Axel Bassani on the Bimota, what is now Kawasaki's factory effort in World Superbikes. 

The weather has not looked kindly on testing for the WorldSBK series so far in 2025. After a windy but relatively dry day on Tuesday, testing on Wednesday was mostly wet, with only occasional dry spells. Even when the track was dry, the times were 1.6 seconds off Toprak Razgatlioglu's best time.

As a result, nine of the 21 WorldSBK riders who rode on Tuesday decided to sit out the Wednesday session and save their testing days, while Philipp Oettl was the only WorldSSP rider of the six who rode on Tuesday to take to the track on Wednesday.

Toprak Razgatlioglu ended the first day of the Portimão WorldSBK test as fastest on his first day back in the saddle of his BMW M1000RR. Despite an injured right index finger, which he hurt in a training crash and which forced him to wear a special glove, the reigning world champion mastered rather tricky conditions, with a lot of wind and a track that was still damp in patches, to just nip ahead of Bimota's Axel Bassani. 

Toprak Razgatlioglu ends the European round of testing for the WorldSBK class on top of the pile. The SMR BMW rider was one of four to smash the existing pole record, set by Jonathan Rea back in 2022.

Razgatlioglu's fast time brought to an end Nicolo Bulega's stranglehold on winter testing, the Aruba.it Ducati rookie ending second behind the BMW of Razgatlioglu, just under a tenth slower. Alex Lowes found a fast lap at the end to grab third on the Kawasaki, ahead of Remy Gardner on the GRT Yamaha, who was also fastest Yamaha.

In the last race of the season, Xavi Vierge has a long lap penalty to serve for his crash that injured Iker Lecuona in the Superpole race. 24ºC weather saw out the summer of racing with a weekend attendance of 41,735.  

The last day of racing this season opens with the Superpole race to determine the grid position for the last race. Everyone faces a 20ºC morning on the SCQ tyre, apart from Iker Lecuona.

First match point is now. A podium by Toprak Razgatlioglu will secure him his second title and BMW's first. There are many other permutations, he has to finish today thirty seven points ahead of Nicolo Bulega, but Razgatlioglu will be trying to win the race. Teams championships and manufacturer's titles could also be decided today, with Ducati in the favourite spot for both.

Fifteen minutes of the last Superpole qualifying session of the year would determine the positions for this afternoon's race where the championship can be decided. With two short six hundred metre straights, the 4.4km track promises lots of action from the twenty seven riders qualifying to race.

Garrett Gerloff opened Saturday ahead of Andrea Iannone and Iker Lecuona as most riders improved on their times from yesterday. Nicolo Bulega and Toprak Razgatlioglu head to Superpole with provisional second row places.

Results:

Michael Ruben Rinaldi used a Q tyre to get the top time ahead of Nicolo Bulega and Danilo Petrucci in an all-Italian, all-Ducati top three. Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea were within three tenths of the quickest time. Razgatlioglu didn't improve on his morning's time. 

Results: