Phillip Island, Australia
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was the fastest rider for the second consecutive day of testing, clocking a 1’28.680s lap in the morning session. His pace remained impressive, with 17 of his 25 flying laps in the 1’29s bracket and two laps in the 1’28s.
- Ducati riders occupied four of the top five spots, with Andrea Iannone (Pata GoEleven) finishing second, 0.498s behind Bulega, while Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed third. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) rounded out the top five, showing growing confidence on his Panigale V4 R.
- The reigning Champion, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rebounded from his Day 1 crash to finish fourth in dry conditions and improved his time in the mixed final session, finishing just 0.1s behind Bulega in FP4.
- Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) secured sixth place as he continued to test Yamaha’s updated 2025 package.
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and teammate Axel Bassani were closely matched, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, placing both bimota inside the top 10.
- Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was Honda’s best performer, taking ninth (1’29.812s), while teammate Iker Lecuona, still recovering from injury, struggled in P20.
- Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) finished 13th, despite a crash at Turn 4, maintaining his strong pre-season form.
- Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki) crashed at Turn 8, causing red flags, while Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) fell at Turn 3 in the final moments of FP4.
With pre-season testing now complete, all eyes remains on Phillip Island, where the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season opener takes place this weekend.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I improved the feeling from yesterday, which was already good, so I think we have a strong package to start the race weekend. I’m happy with how the bike feels—everything is working well at the moment. Of course, we still have room for improvement, but I’ve already made a small step forward from yesterday, and if we can take another, that would be great.
Testing is one thing—it’s important to have a good feeling, but at the end of the day, you don’t score points in testing. I’ll start Friday with a positive mindset, knowing we have a strong package, I feel good at this circuit, and the bike is working well here. Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going and improve a little more.
I’m really looking forward to the first race of the year—finally, we’re getting started! I have to admit, I don’t enjoy testing that much; I prefer race weekends. Testing can get a bit boring, so I’m really excited to start racing.”
P2 – Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven)
“Unfortunately, we had rain and wet conditions in the afternoon for about an hour, which completely disrupted our strategy. But in any case, we worked very well this morning and understood a few things.
For sure, we need a little more time, but we don’t have it. Now, on Friday, at the start of the race weekend, we’ll continue testing some things to decide on our setup for the races. In any case, I think we’re starting the season with a good feeling on the bike and with the team. Of course, there are still areas where we need to improve, but that’s always the case—we always push to improve and be ready for the weekend.
I’m confident, and like I said before, I think we’ll start in good shape.”
P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team)
“It was good. This has been a really positive test since yesterday. I’ve found a good feeling with the bike, so I’m feeling optimistic for the weekend. For sure, the battle is tight because I think there are 7-8 riders who can fight for the podium. Right now, Bulega has something extra, but when it comes to the top 10 riders, I believe all of them have the potential to stand on the podium.”
P4 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“After the crash, especially on the second day, we started off well because our main target is to find the right setup for the race. We finally found something, but we’re not 100% ready yet. After the crash, we lost two hours of riding, and the afternoon brought some rain, so we only got the last eight minutes to ride the bike. We found a few things, but we’re still not 100%, so we’ll see how it goes on Friday. The weekend is really important, and we’re doing our best, as always.
I feel the same as before, but I’m continuing to ride the bike. We’re racers, and it’s crucial to keep riding. This is an important weekend because it’s the first race of the 2025 season. Even though I’m still not 100%, after a couple of laps, the pain isn’t too bad, and I can still ride without problems. We also did some good lap times on race tires, so I’m a bit excited for the first race!”
