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One hot topic heading into the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is who will challenge reigning Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) for this year’s crown. Last year, rookie sensation Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) pushed ‘El Turco’ all the way to the final round, so could this be the rivalry that once again defines WorldSBK? Or will other rivalries come to the fore in 2025?

RAZGATLIOGLU VS BULEGA’S 2024 STORY: a rookie takes on a Champion

Few would’ve predicted Bulega’s quick accession to a WorldSBK title contender. He claimed the 2023 WorldSSP title in style before moving straight into the factory Ducati team, alongside two-time Champion Alvaro Bautista. The #11 was a winner on debut and, although he didn’t win again until the French Round, Bulega was firmly in title contention – particularly with Razgatlioglu missing six races through injury. A technical issue at MotorLand Aragon was perhaps the moment his title hopes slipped away but he had done enough to take the fight to Jerez before Razgatlioglu turned his #54 plate back into a #1 plate.

BARCELONA, ARAGON, AND ESTORIL BATTLES: things heat up under the Iberian sun

It wasn’t too often that Razgatlioglu and Bulega were fighting on track in the middle of the season, partially thanks to Razgatlioglu’s dominant 13-race winning streak. Their first battle came in Barcelona when Razgatlioglu’s tyre management masterclass helped him overturn a four-second deficit to ‘Bulegas’ to claim a first BMW victory. The next fights were at MotorLand Aragon, when Razgatlioglu, Bulega and Bautista were all fighting for first place in Sunday’s two races. It was Spanish star Bautista who came out on top ahead of Razgatlioglu, with Bulega forced to settle for third in both races. Of course, there was also the Superpole Race at the Circuito Estoril. The battle raged on the final lap and out of the final corner, with Bulega just able to win by 0.003s – the closest finish in WorldSBK history.

2025 AWAITS: what will the new season bring for the Razgatlioglu-Bulega rivalry?

A new year brings a new campaign and new challenges, but one thing’s for sure: the rivalry between Razgatlioglu and Bulega is sure to hit new heights. Razgatlioglu has one more year of experience on the M 1000 RR, a combination that was formidable in 2024, while Bulega crucially has a year of WorldSBK experience in general under his belt. He’ll have more understanding of tyres and the Panigale V4 R machine he races with. Could that one year of experience allow Bulega to fight more with Razgatlioglu on track?

RAZGATLIOGLU'S THOUGHTS ON 2025: “My target is easy… I use the #1 again and my target is to win the title”

Speaking at Portimao, where Razgatlioglu was on the M 1000 RR for the first time in 2025 after missing the Jerez test through injury, the #1 said about 2025: “My target is easy because, in 2022, I used the #1 but it wasn’t a good season for me. Now I use the #1 again and my target is to win the title with the #1.” It’s a target he also stated at the BMW team launch in Berlin in January, while also discussing his target of winning at circuits he didn’t win at in 2024 such as Phillip Island.

BULEGA PREVIEWS 2025: “The level will be even higher than last year…”

Giving his thoughts on the upcoming campaign, and what he can learn from 2024, Bulega said at the Jerez test: “It’s a bit in general because when you don’t have experience, sometimes you can make a wrong decision with tyres, or setup or electronics. I think this year, with a bit more experience, I can start already from the Friday of a race weekend a bit better and won’t lose too much time. I think, in 2025, the level will be even higher than last year because last year, there were three or four riders always on the podium. This year, I think there can be some outsiders that you don’t expect to be fast but will be. I don’t know who but I’m sure someone will be at the front.”

CAN IT GET ANY CLOSER? Follow the Razgatlioglu-Bulega rivalry throughout 2025 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!