Nicolo Bulega completed a coveted hat trick weekend after winning all 3 races this weekend at Cremona. The pdoums form Race 1, 2 and the Superpole race had identical podiums with Bulega winning all three races, Toprak Razgatlioglu taking second and Alvaro Bautista in third. The battle at the front was a spectacle between Bulega and Razgatlioglu but Bulega was a man reborn this weekend.
Bulega was able to pull away in every race and Razgatlioglu had issues with late phase tire performance which prevented him from mounting an attack late in the races. The battle remained an uphill one as Bulega continued to set personal best lap times one after another. While not under ideal conditions, Razgatlioglu marked his 150th podium in World Superbike. Although, Razgatlioglu’s P2 finishes were mostly damage control. Bulega extended his championship lead to 198 giving him a 34 point lead over Razgatlioglu. He said, “After the unlucky Sunday at Assen, I needed a win to regain my smile. And it was incredible to do it in front of this extraordinary crowd. I am even happier because to get this result at a track that is not easy for me gives us great confidence for the rest of the season”.
Championship Standings
All three races during the World Superbike round at TT Assen had different podiums and race winners making it one of the most diverse podium weekends so far this year. Toprak Razgatlioglu took advantage of mistakes all over the field to seize the win in the Superpole race while Andrea Locatelli won race 2. Alvaro Bautista whom has been quiet over the last year finally found his way back to the podium twice this weekend with a P3 finish in the superpole race and a second place finish in race 2.
Nicolo Bulega failed to extend his lead over Razgatlioglu whom missed out on scoring points in the early rounds due to injury. Razgatlioglu now sits only 21 points behind Bulega which brings him back into championship contention. Despite this the real story is Andrea Locatelli securing his first Wurld Superbike win.
“Finally, my first victory in WorldSBK after a long time and the first with Pata Maxus Yamaha, so an incredible day,” he said. “The sun was coming out today like a signal and yeah, everything was perfect. An amazing weekend, yesterday finishing P2 and fighting well this morning in wet conditions – we were fast also there. A positive, positive weekend – everything was working really, really well. We focused on all the small details to make a step for Sunday because like we know, everyone improves but we were there – we pushed quite hard and I made a good start again for Race 2 to be fighting for the podium.
I kept pushing forward and we got the victory – I took some luck with two laps to go after Nicolo’s problem, but I have also been on the end of bad luck when I have had the winning opportunity, so I know how this feels. Many thanks to all my guys, to all Yamaha’s guys – everyone is working hard behind the scenes for us – a big thanks to my family and my fans, all the people who cheer for us. Let’s continue like this, it’s only the third round. I think we have done a good job so far this year, now we don’t stop to believe and trust in our potential, because I feel like we can get more and more!”
Locatelli started P4 in the race and by the seventh lap had found his way challenging for P2 but after a brilliant pass on Alvaro Bautista and a mechanical issue with Nicolo Bulega Locatelli inherited the win. Locatelli now sits in third place in the championship race.
Race 2 Results from TT Assen
Nicolo Bulega beat out Toprak Razgatlioglu further extending his championship lead. Razgatlioglu struggled to hold on to the top 3 and battled it out for third with Danilo Petrucci. Ultimately Petrucci held on to the final podium spot. The top 3 was an Italian lockout with Andrea Locatelli finishing P2.
Bulega comment on race 1 saying, “I am thrilled because since FP1, we have worked well, managing to improve a feeling that was already very good. For this reason, I thank my team. It was a good race, maybe not a close one, but one during which I had a lot of fun riding on this beautiful circuit. Expectations for tomorrow? The weather conditions could change the game, but the objective remains to fight for the win”.
Elsewhere in the FIeld
There were 6 retirements in the race. Next up for the field is the Superpole race which Alex Lowes will start from the front. Lowes will look to improve on a disappointing retirement from race 1 leaving him again with no points. He said, “We worked quite hard this weekend on race pace and we did a lot of laps in the practice sessions. I knew that tyre life was going to be difficult, so I wanted to get a good start to put myself in position to maybe use the experience we had gained in the last part of the race. I was pushing hard to fight with the guys in the top five or six positions.
I made a mistake on the small left onto the straight. I was so focused on the exit and trying to stay with the riders in front I think I was a little bit fast. It is a shame but I picked the bike up and did my best to the end of the race. Even with some damage on the footpeg, the pace was quite strong.”
Race 1 Results From TT Assen
He came. He saw. He conquered. Toprak Razgatlioglu came into the Portuguese round with one mission and that was to return to his championship winning ways. After securing the hat trick this weekend Razgatlioglu he is now 29 points behind Bulega who played damage control by finishing second in both races and the superpole race.
The battle on track went back and forth until race 2 was red flagged after Jason O’Halloran (Pata Maxus Yamaha) crashed at Turn 1. The result was a restart with an 11 lap sprint race. Bulega and Razgatlioglu battled it out until the final lap where Razgatlioglu was able to pull away and create a gap that Bulega was not able to track him down with the last opportunity coming on the penultimate lap. Razgatlioglu was in full celebration mode and was no available for comment however Bulega offer his thoughts on the race.
Bulega said, “It’s clear that victory always has a unique flavour, but I’m still delighted with what we did today. After the test in mid-March, the feeling was not particularly good, and for this, I thank my team and Ducati for the work done over these days that allowed me to be competitive. We know that this track is particularly suited to Toprak’s characteristics, and to be able to fight for the win in the final meters is a good sign”.
Race 2 Results from Portimao
Toprak Razgatlioglu is back to his winning ways after taking race 1 of the Portugese round. Technical issues have plague the Turkish rider thus far this season. The issues have rendered his efforts for a title defense difficult. However, after the win in race 1 this weekend Razgatlioglu currently sits second in the championship behind Nicolo Bulega who fell short in the race after periodically leading practice on day one of the race weekend. The two battled at the front for the entire race but Toprak held off Bulega’s advances on the final lap and held on to win it. Razgatlioglu also claimed Superpole which has renewed the fight at the top as the riders head into the Superpole race and Race 2 tomorrow.
Bulega comment on falling short, “I’m happy because this morning we made a step forward compared to the test and then managed to improve further in the afternoon. It was a productive Friday during which we got closer to Toprak, but he remains the weekend’s favorite. If we can take another step forward tomorrow, we have all the credentials to be competitive”.
Razgatlioglu’s teammate Michale Van der Mark finished P5 to secure decent points and to break up what has seemingly been a Ducati dominated top 5. Andrea Locatelli finished P3 behind Nicolo Bulega to keep Yamaha in the fight. Razgatlioglu will be looking to cut the 37 point deficit he current has to Bulega in the championship standings this weekend.
Race 1 Results from Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
The bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team’s (BbKRT) first in season test will take place this weekend after the team has had a chance to regroup after the opening round at Philip Island in Australia. Testing will commence at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in southern Portugal this coming weekend as Kawasaki attempts to put their name back in contention in the top 5 of the World Superbike paddock.
Despite mid pack finishes in the final race of Australia Round weekend Kawasaki feels they are making strides in a positive direction.
Words From the Riders
Alex Lowes, stated: “Firstly, I’m really excited to get back on the bimota KB998 Rimini. It was good to get the first round out the way recently and understand a bit more about where we have to improve. Obviously, it’s a new project and we have a lot of work to do, so let’s hope the weather plays ball and we can get some good dry laps in to explore the WorldSBK-spec KB998 a bit further! Portimao is a different challenge to Phillip Island I am hoping to improve my front end confidence on the bike to be more aggressive under braking. That should allow me to race with the other bikes a bit more easily. This is my main focus for this Portimao test, and to enjoy being back with my Team 22 colleagues.”
Axel Bassani, stated: “We will have two days of testing at Portimao soon. It will be a really important test because soon after we will have a race weekend there. We have to try to find our best race setup. For sure that not be easy as Portimao is a very difficult track, but we have already had one day of testing there and we will not be starting this next test from zero. This is very important because all the tracks will be new for us when we go to race.
Bassani Continued
We will have some new things to try but not a lot of new items. We have to improve in a lot of points, especially on the rear for me. After Phillip Island we realized that the base is not bad because we were really near to the first positions. We know that one of our issues is the speed on the straight, so we have to focus a lot where we can improve and not think too much about that. We will try in some more areas to be near to the first riders.”
Words From Management
Guim Roda, BbKRT Team Manager, stated: “After the opening round in Australia we now come back to Europe to continue the WorldSBK show. Australia was the first experience with the bimota KB998 Rimini in a real race situation, and we saw many areas to improve in. Many things were new in that race weekend for us, yet I think we managed it quite well. Now, in this Portimao Test, we’ll try to continue ‘polishing’ the areas that we detected we must improve in. I think we will really need to complete three rounds to define the direction of work for bike development, so let’s continue doing that in the Portimao test and then race weekend. We will see, but be sure that the best is yet to come.”
The following article was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff
From Honda HRC…
“Honda HRC factory rider Iker Lecuona’s condition following his crash during the Superpole qualifying session of WorldSBK Round 1 at Phillip Island is fortunately better than expected.
After undergoing medical examinations upon his return to Spain, it has been confirmed that Iker will not require surgery for the injury to his left foot.
His recovery plan includes passive exercises, physiotherapy sessions, and hyperbaric chamber therapy to improve blood circulation and accelerate bone healing.
Encouraged by his progress so far, Iker has already begun rehabilitation.
A medical check-up is scheduled for March 18th to assess his condition and determine the likelihood of his participation in WorldSBK Round 2, set to take place in Portimao (Portugal) on March 28-30.
However, it has been confirmed that Lecuona will be unable to take part in the upcoming Portimao tests on March 14th and 15th.
The Honda HRC team will continue to monitor his progress and provide further updates as they become available.”
Nicolo Bulega was in a world of his own in Australia for the Phillip Island round. Bulega led every session on the weekend with no one coming close to challenging him for the top spot. The round provided Bulega with all three wins marking his first hat trick in the World Superbike Championship. “I can’t hide the fact that I am delighted with this weekend,” said Bulega. “It’s clear that the results are there for all to see, but what gives me more satisfaction is the feeling with the bike, which has been perfect since the tests. I want to thank the team for their extraordinary job”.
Toprak Razgatlioglu Struggled at Phillip Island
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s season opening round did not go according to plan. Razgatlioglu retired from the final race of the round in frustration. His BMW M1000RR seemed to struggle with performance; especially with straight speed and braking. He said “I am never very happy after the first races of the season which has been the case in the past years – the season opener is always strange. To get the podium in race one was not easy; thanks to my team as in every session they improved the bike. I felt a bit better on the bike in that race and we did a very good job.
At the start of the Superpole race, I had a big problem and was lucky not to hit someone and to avoid a big crash. For race two we said it would be better to ride yesterday’s bike because I felt that we had been really improving and the grip was much better than before but during the race there was a problem and I could not continue. But I now only focus on the next race. Finally we are going to Europe and I’m just starting to fight with all the Ducatis because this is almost like a Ducati Cup. Nicolò Bulega was strong here last year, so I was not surprised that he was fast.
Toprak Razgatlioglu at Philip Island. Photo courtesy of BMW Group PressClub Global
Congratulations to him, he did a very good job and deserves it. I think that we will fight more this year. Álvaro Bautista is also strong, but this year, all Ducatis were in front. This is not normal and I hope that it will not continue like this. Now we have a long break of almost one month and we will work hard and try to come back stronger. We have a test at Portimão and these two test days are really important because we try to improve the bike. We are still not at hundred percent but I know that everyone is pushing hard.”
Championship Points After Phillips Island
Nicolo Bulega is on a tear this weekend after first winning the seaosn opener in Race 1 at Phillip Island and now winning again in the Superpole Race. Bulega has led the field the entire weekend and has secured his second win of the season in today’s Superpole Race. Unlike Race 1 2024 champion Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista found themselves out of contention after an incident saw both riders run off the track during the Superpole race. The two would not recover. Bulega won the race by 2.3 seconds.
Danilo Petrucci made his way on to the podium in third place behind Andrea Iannone who crept up the ranks after finishing P6 in Race 1 to claim P2 taking advantage of the demise of Bautista and Razgatlioglu.
Garrett Gerloff had an incident in turn 4 that results in Tetsuda Nagashima also crashing out of the race. It appears that all of the technical issues that were observed earlier in the weekend have been solved. Up next is Race 2 to finish off the weekend. Can Bulega pull off the hat trick?
Superpole Race
Nicolo Bulega set the tone for the return of World Superbike action with a win in Race 1 after early success securing P1 in Superpole. Bulega started in the lead and kept it after getting the holeshot off the line and never looked back. Despite running a 2024 spec bike Aruba.it Racing has clearly found something that their competitors have not. Bulega finished 4.811 second ahead of second place finisher, and last years champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
The battle behind between Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista with the margin between them 0.3 seconds. Danilo Petrucci from Barni Spark Racing found him self another top 5 finish just under 2 tenths ahead of Scott Redding. Early signs point to another dominant trend from the Ducati V4Rs. Superpole race is up next to determine if Bulega can work his way towards a hattrick for the weekend.
Of Note, Italian Rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) crashed in his debut race after one lap which was a disappointment for the young talent given the progress he has made in pre season testing. On the ninth lap Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) slid out in turn one which also forced him to retire from the race. A number of riders had technical issues with their machines which resulted in a total of 6 riders retiring from the race.
Full Race 1 Results