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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visited the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 2 of 2025 and it delivered as rivalries ignited under the Portuguese sun. Debriefing with the media, several riders spoke about their weekends including epic fights and challenges they faced, so catch up on all the juiciest stories below.

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “For my confidence, to have three races like this, is good because I learn a lot”

Reacting to his three epic showdowns with Razgatlioglu, Bulega said: “I think the three races were very similar. Toprak was a bit more comfortable on the bike to keep this pace. I was a bit more on the limit. I tried everything and played all my cards. The red flag maybe didn’t help me because Toprak was struggling a little bit more with the drop of the front tyre, I think. From behind, when I saw him, the front was moving a little bit. If I was stronger in one point, it was that. I’m happy to fight with him and not let him win easily! Toprak is very strong, especially with braking. We have completely different riding styles. He’s braking hard but then stops a bit more than me in the middle of the corner. At this track, which has a lot of braking, for his riding style it’s a bit more of an advantage. I tried to learn from him in the hard and slow braking. At some points, I was faster than him, but in more points, he was faster than me. For my confidence, to have three races like this, is good because I learn a lot.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “We improved the bike, especially the rear grip, and corner entry is a small step”

‘El Turco’ also reacted to the fights and explained where bike improvements had come from: “Finally, I’m happy! Three wins, Superpole… it looks like I took everything this weekend. Race 2 wasn’t so difficult. If there wasn’t a red flag, I had a similar plan to this to push for my pace in the last five laps. After the red flag, I saw it was an 11-lap race, like a Superpole Race. I needed to follow for Nicolo for five laps, I did that then passed him. I did a good job because, especially on the last lap, I kept the lines easier. I felt much better on the bike. We improved the bike, especially the rear grip, and corner entry is a small step. Turning is similar and doesn’t change after the new rules. My bike doesn’t turn well. In cooler conditions, the bike is working but in hotter conditions, it doesn’t work; it’s not turning, there’s less grip.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “It was fun to see them but it’s more fun if I can be there!”

A mixed weekend for Bautista who ended it with two P3s. He said: “In the Superpole Race, I missed Saturday’s race so the first few laps were getting confidence. I started to get my pace; I had good battles with other riders. In Race 2, I had a good start and stayed with both Nicolo and Toprak at the beginning. I didn’t have enough to stay with them. On Sunday, the pace was much faster, so I think with the pace they had on Saturday, I was able to stay with them, but they increased the pace, and I wasn’t able to follow them. I could make a good lap time, but they were even faster! I enjoyed watching their battle, battling, and passing one another. The feeling with the bike is much better than last year. Everything is more under control, and I feel the limits more. I’m looking forward but we need to make some steps forward to stay with them. I’m not worried about that, just with being calm and working well, that day will arrive. This year, with more experience, I see Nicolo defending a bit better. About Toprak, I know how he battles very well; it was fun to see them but it’s more fun if I can be there! If we compare to Nico, Toprak was very strong under braking, but Nico had better exits from corners because he had more corner speed and he’s able to exit from the corners faster.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “We’re still working on all the things because we can get, from every part, something more”

Locatelli ended the weekend with one podium and three top-fives, saying: “Apart from the podium and the fight close to the podium, the overall feeling with the bike and the work we did during the weekend was quite good. I have a good feeling with the bike. We have many possibilities, we have Assen next which is a good track for me and last year I was doing well. We need to try to be positive, try to look forward and continue working like this and try to stay towards the front. We still have a lot of work to do but it’s a step. When we arrived here for the test, I had good confidence immediately. The only thing we missed this year was pre-season, during that we didn’t ride a lot so we couldn’t work well with all the parts we tried. We’re still working on all the things because we can get, from every part, something more.”

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “When you’re 17th at Turn 1, you can only punch yourself in the mouth”

Petrucci explained what caused his Race 2 start where he dropped to 17^th: “Honestly, I’ve been angry since the Superpole Race when Alvaro passed me on the straight! I was not fast enough to keep him behind and I lost the podium with two laps to go. I was expecting that, but I did everything has planned, like go with Nicolo and Toprak; I knew they were faster but at least they could pull me out of the mess, but Alvaro was a little bit faster. In Race 2, we had the problem with the clutch. I put first gear, but the bike stayed in neutral. When I opened the throttle, the launch control wasn’t in because I was between first and second. When I released the brake, second gear went in, so I started in second. When you’re 17^th at Turn 1, you can only punch yourself in the mouth. I started to recover, and the red flag helped but not that much. Iannone, honestly, wasn’t very friendly on the first lap because he had to do the ride through, but he went into me a couple of times. It's good if you’re racing, but not if you have to go into the pits on the same lap.”

Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC): “It was my first time with Ohlins… that’s the main change, we have more potential”

Providing an update on his physical fitness after his comeback weekend, Lecuona said: “Talking about my shoulder, I miss just a little bit. Talking about my foot, even with the time I had before coming here, I had time to recover the old injury where I had a lot of pain in one tendon. After the Superpole Race, I started to have some discomfort on the left corners. I’m really happy. For me, it was the first time with Ohlins, so we worked very hard to learn about the new brand on the bike. That’s the main change. I like it. We have more potential, I think.”

Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing): “The only thing I can think, is that when we came out of T3, I was in front, so how could I see him?

Giving his view on the Race 1 clash with Bautista, Redding said: “I didn’t even see him for me to say I did or didn’t do it deliberately. I really thought someone on the left side was pushing me because I felt the rear of my bike coming round and thought, ‘that’s f*****g weird’. I was holding it and then it was gone. I was alone in the gravel and then I saw Alvaro and I said, ’what the f**k?’. Maybe it was a separate crash or maybe it was him who pushed me. I just watched the thing back because I asked the guys if anyone knew what happened. They had an onboard from Alvaro which was kind of perfect. He entered into Turn 3, and I was ahead of him; actually, I was in the middle of the corner ahead of Remy Gardner. My plan was to stay out and protect my line to the left. I was outside at Turn 3, and Gardner had a better exit than me, which I expected. What I’m thinking, the only thing I can think, is that when we came out of T3, I was in front, so how could I see him? But he must’ve seen me because I was in front of him, so when he changed direction, he must’ve seen me somewhere on the left side and thought ’Should I? Shouldn’t I?’. Sometimes as a rider, you go ‘I think I can do it’ and I think maybe he thought he could get the wheel in front of me, and I’d have to close the gas.”

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