Italian WorldSBK 2025: Nicolo Bulega dominates Friday practice at Cremona

Full Italian WorldSBK 2025 Free Practice 1 and 2 Results – Nicolo Bulega set the pace in both Friday practice sessions at Cremona, establishing himself as the rider to beat for the remainder of the weekend.

The Italian riding for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati demonstrated both raw speed and consistency, outpacing a competitive field and responding with authority after a challenging previous round at Assen.

Italian WorldSBK 2025 Friday Practice action unfolded over two 45-minute sessions with riders and teams working tirelessly to adapt to the technical 3.76 km Cremona Circuit which hosted its fourth round of the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.

The morning’s Free Practice 1 session began under clear skies, with riders eager to set a strong foundation for the weekend.

Nicolo Bulega wasted no time quickly finding his rhythm and pushing his Ducati Panigale V4 R to the top of the timesheets. His best lap, a blistering 1:29.158, was unmatched throughout the session underlining his affinity for the home circuit and his ability to extract maximum performance from his machine.

Danilo Petrucci representing Barni Spark Racing Team posted the second-fastest time, a 1:29.537, despite suffering a crash at Turn 2. His resilience was evident as he rejoined the session and maintained his competitive edge.

Toprak Razgatlioglu riding the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK M 1000 RR secured third position with a 1:29.553, showcasing strong pace in his first competitive outing at Cremona.

The opening session was not without drama as five riders experienced crashes, highlighting the circuit’s challenging nature and the fine margins at play.

Bulega’s Ducati teammate Alvaro Bautista endured a difficult start to his Italian campaign, crashing at Turn 2 and ultimately finishing the session in eighth place. Despite the setback, his experience and determination kept him within striking distance of the leaders.

Italian WorldSBK 2025,Nicolo Bulega,Free Practice,Friday practice,Cremona

The field behind the top three was tightly packed with Axel Bassani (Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) both posting competitive times, while Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) also featured prominently in the top ten.

Italian WorldSBK 2025 Free Practice 1 Results

PosRiderNatTeamBikeTimes
1Nicolo BulegaITAAruba.It Racing – DucatiDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.158
2Danilo PetrucciITABarni Spark Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.537
3Toprak RazgatliogluTURROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK TeamBMW M 1000 RR1:29.553
4Iker LecuonaESPHonda HRCHonda CBR1000RR-R1:29.621
5Sam LowesGBRELF Marc VDS Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.669
6Alex LowesGBRBimota by Kawasaki Racing TeamKB998 Rimini1:29.767
7Xavi ViergeESPHonda HRCHonda CBR1000RR-R1:29.801
8Andrea LocatelliITAPata Maxus YamahaYamaha R11:29.970
9Remy GardnerAUSGYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:29.986
10Axel BassaniITABimota by Kawasaki Racing TeamKB998 Rimini1:29.990
11Scott ReddingGBRMGM Bonovo RacingDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.028
12Andrea IannoneITATeam Pata GoElevenDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.147
13Yari MontellaITABarni Spark Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.329
14Ryan VickersGBRMotocorsa RacingDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.453
15Garrett GerloffUSAKawasaki WorldSBK TeamKawasaki ZX-10RR1:30.545
16Michael van der MarkNEDROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK TeamBMW M 1000 RR1:30.591
17Jonathan ReaGBRPata Maxus YamahaYamaha R11:30.613
18Bahattin SofuogluTURYamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.623
19Tito RabatESPYamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.773
20Dominique AegerterSUIGYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.989
21Alvaro BautistaESPAruba.It Racing – DucatiDucati Panigale V4 R1:31.042
22Tarran MackenzieGBRPetronas MIE Honda Racing TeamHonda CBR1000RR-R1:31.083
23Gabriele RuiuITABmaxDucati Panigale V4 R1:31.966
24Zaqhwan ZaidiMALPetronas MIE Honda Racing TeamHonda CBR1000RR-R1:33.437

As the paddock regrouped for Free Practice 2 in the afternoon, the intensity only increased with Bulega once again setting the fastest time of the session with a 1:29.250. Although marginally slower than his FP1 benchmark, this lap was sufficient to keep him at the top and maintain a clear advantage over his rivals.

Toprak Razgatlioglu continued to apply pressure finishing second in FP2 with a time of 1:29.465, just 0.215 seconds adrift of Bulega. The Turkish rider’s consistency and adaptability to the BMW M 1000 RR were evident, though he still trailed the Italian’s relentless pace.

Italian WorldSBK 2025,Nicolo Bulega,Free Practice,Friday practice,Cremona

Axel Bassani emerged as the top Bimota rider securing third place in FP2 with a 1:29.640, just ahead of Andrea Locatelli who was the leading Yamaha representative in fourth with a 1:29.704.

The presence of three Italian riders in the top five underscored the depth of local talent and the competitive nature of the championship at Cremona.

Alvaro Bautista’s day, however, went from bad to worse after the Spaniard suffered two more crashes in FP2, bringing his total to three for the day. Despite the incidents he managed to post a 1:29.730, placing him fifth overall in the session.

Iker Lecuona was the standout performer for Honda finishing sixth in FP2 with a 1:29.785 aboard the CBR1000RR-R. The Lowes twins Sam and Alex added further intrigue to the session by finishing seventh and eighth, respectively.

Sam Lowes continued his strong form with the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, while Alex Lowes, now riding for Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, showcased his adaptability and competitiveness with a 1:29.838.

The top ten was rounded out by Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci, both riding independent Ducati Panigale V4 Rs.

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Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) were just outside the top ten, both posting times in the low 1:30s while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) also featured in the top fifteen.

Further down the order, Scott Redding (MGM Bonovo Racing) finished 15th while Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) occupied 16th and 17th positions, respectively.

American Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) was 18th followed by Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) and Tarran Mackenzie (Petronas MIE Honda Racing Team) in nineteenth and twentieth.

Notably, Jonathan Rea struggled to find pace on his Pata Maxus Yamaha and ended the day in twenty-first place with a 1:30.547.

Italian WorldSBK 2025 Free Practice 2 Results

PosRiderNatTeamBikeTimes
1Nicolo BulegaITAAruba.It Racing – DucatiDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.250
2Toprak RazgatliogluTURROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK TeamBMW M 1000 RR1:29.465
3Axel BassaniITABimota by Kawasaki Racing TeamKB998 Rimini1:29.640
4Andrea LocatelliITAPata Maxus YamahaYamaha R11:29.704
5Alvaro BautistaESPAruba.It Racing – DucatiDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.730
6Iker LecuonaESPHonda HRCHonda CBR1000RR-R1:29.785
7Sam LowesGBRELF Marc VDS Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.791
8Alex LowesGBRBimota by Kawasaki Racing TeamKB998 Rimini1:29.838
9Andrea IannoneITATeam Pata GoElevenDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.951
10Danilo PetrucciITABarni Spark Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1:29.954
11Xavi ViergeESPHonda HRCHonda CBR1000RR-R1:30.036
12Yari MontellaITABarni Spark Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.057
13Remy GardnerAUSGYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.057
14Bahattin SofuogluTURYamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.079
15Scott ReddingGBRMGM Bonovo RacingDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.125
16Michael van der MarkNEDROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK TeamBMW M 1000 RR1:30.208
17Dominique AegerterSUIGYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.316
18Garrett GerloffUSAKawasaki WorldSBK TeamKawasaki ZX-10RR1:30.448
19Ryan VickersGBRMotocorsa RacingDucati Panigale V4 R1:30.492
20Tarran MackenzieGBRPetronas MIE Honda Racing TeamHonda CBR1000RR-R1:30.542
21Jonathan ReaGBRPata Maxus YamahaYamaha R11:30.547
22Tito RabatESPYamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK TeamYamaha R11:30.798
23Gabriele RuiuITABmaxDucati Panigale V4 R1:31.371
24Zaqhwan ZaidiMALPetronas MIE Honda Racing TeamHonda CBR1000RR-R1:32.800

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