The 2025 World Superbike Championship season kicked off on the Australian soil of Phillip Island with an explosive scenario. While Ducati imposed its law, Toprak Razgatlioglu voiced his anger at what he considered excessive domination. Jonathan Rea, meanwhile, had a nightmare with an injury that forced him to miss several races. Results and standings can be found in the article.
Ducati at the forefront of the early WorldSBK season
The weekend's three races all went Ducati's way, with Nicolo Bulega claiming a historic hat-trick of wins. The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider dominated proceedings with relentless efficiency, putting the finishing touches to his excellent winter preparation and confirming his ease on his favourite circuit. "I'm really happy because it's my first hat-trick in WorldSBK. It's incredible to do it on my favorite track," he declared after his third win of the weekend. Nicolò Bulega had largely dominated the test sessions, setting the fastest time in all four sessions, but now it was 2.6 seconds in his pursuer's view.
The Panigale V4R displayed an impressive level of performance, also allowing Álvaro Bautista to shine. The Spaniard made a superb comeback from 11ᵉ place on the grid in Round 2 to grab second position. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) marked his return with two podiums from three races, proving that he will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Behind the leading trio, the battle was intense between the independent riders. Scott Redding (MGM Bonovo Racing) overtook Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) for fourth place. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) rounded off the top 6 after a solid performance. WSBK newcomer Bimota also put in a fine performance, placing its two riders in the top 10 with Alex Lowes eighth and Axel Bassani tenth.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Remy Gardner. The Australian, on home soil, ended the weekend with a zero score...
World Superbike Championship standings (1 round /12)
As in 2024, there are no French riders on the Superbike grid. To follow the progress of the Tricolores, you'll have to turn to the "WSSP" World Supersport Championship, where Lucas Mahias, Valentin Debise, Loïc Arbel and Corentin Perolari will be trying to make their mark. Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) and Debise (Renzi Corse) collected 10 and 9 points respectively at the end of the first weekend of competition.
"A Ducati Cup": is Toprak Razgatlioglu going too far?
Ducati may be exultant, but the situation is very different for the reigning champion: Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) endured a nightmarish weekend, marked by a penalty for aggressive driving and a retirement in Race 2 due to mechanical problems. Angry, the Turkish rider expressed his displeasure by boycotting the official press conference and dropping unfiltered remarks about the championship situation.
The 38ᵉ edition of WSBK has only just begun, and the entire 2025 regulations -which are supposed to erase the differences between manufacturers- are being called into question. "The fact that there are all the Ducatis in front, it's not normal. This is Superbike, not Ducati Cup," he complained to Dorna TV, before hinting that a departure from the championship was not out of the question if nothing changed: "If the situation stays like this, I think I won't race in this championship anymore."
We don't know how much time elapsed between the two speeches, but "TP54" (who has never triumphed in Australia) was keen to reassure us of his ambitions and is already looking ahead to what's to come: "We need two days of testing. It will be very important to improve the bike, and we'll try to do our best." A reaction that will have to be quick, as Portimão (Portugal) is just around the corner.
Finally, he was keen to salute his rivals: "I'm not surprised by Nicolò Bulega and Alvaro Bautista. On the contrary, I congratulate them on the work they've done."
Jonathan Rea injured, Yamaha calls on Augusto Fernandez
Another major blow at the start of the season is Jonathan Rea. The six-time world champion crashed heavily during pre-season testing at Phillip Island, suffering multiple fractures to his right foot. His return is uncertain, and he could miss the rounds at Portimão and Assen (Netherlands), with a possible return to Cremona (Italy) in early May. In the meantime, Yamaha has appointed Augusto Fernandez, MotoGP tester and former Moto2 champion, to replace him. Fernandez will benefit from testing in Portugal on March 14 and 15, in order to adapt to the Yamaha R1 and Pirelli tires before his first race engagement.
Niccolò Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe's Sports Manager, confirmed this temporary solution:
We spoke with Augusto and he was enthusiastic. He already knows the circuit and, with the test scheduled before the race, he'll be able to get some track time with the R1 before the event.
A season already under tension
While Ducati's dominance is impressive, it is also attracting fierce criticism. The season has only just begun, but Razgatlioglu's frustration and Rea's injuries add palpable tension to this early championship. The next few rounds will be crucial to rebalancing the hierarchy and preventing the World Superbike Championship from becoming a one-way battle.
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