\n\tNicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) set the pace on Friday at the Circuito Estoril in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as he looks to claw back valuable points over the EICMA Estoril Round on rival Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). The #11 was the only rider in the 1\u201935s bracket while \u2018El Turco\u2019 put in some impressive race pace during the afternoon session.<\/p>\n
\n\tBULEGA SETS THE FASTEST TIME: The only rider in the 1\u201935s bracket<\/p>\n
\n\tBulega left it until the final 10 minutes to show his hand after he posted a remarkable 1\u201935.778s, with the #11 completing shorter stints compared to Razgatlioglu. Bulega was the first rider to hit the 1\u201935s bracket, with his time two tenths quicker than the #1\u2019s. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) was the second-fastest Ducati on Friday as he finished in fifth. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) was eighth with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in 12th. Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) was ninth overall as the highest-placed rider not to improve his time in FP2; he was one of only two riders not to go quicker in the afternoon with his FP1 time of 1\u201936.631s enough for a top-ten finish. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Action) claimed 16th spot ahead of rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) in 17th. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) competed in FP1 and was classified 14th overall, however he was declared unfit with a right hand injury after the opening session.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t@nbulega<\/a> tops the time sheets in FP2#EstorilWorldSBK<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TKNHPTsqd8<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\u2014 WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) October 10, 2025<\/a>
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\n\tRAZGATLIOGLU’S INCREDIBLE RACE PACE: A bundle of laps in the 1\u201936s<\/p>\n
\n\tRazgatlioglu had topped FP1 on Friday morning and he backed that up in FP2 by claiming top honours overall on Friday, topping the second session as well. He set a 1\u201936.010s as cemented his place towards the top of the timesheets; however, it was Razgatlioglu\u2019s race pace which caught the eye as he did a race simulation in FP2 with the majority of his laps in the low 1\u201936s. Teammate Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in 15th place, 1.3 seconds down on Bulega\u2019s pace.<\/p>\n
\n\tSTRONG START FOR BIMOTA: P3 and P4 for Alex Lowes and Bassani<\/p>\n
\n\tXavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the lead Honda rider on Friday as he secured P7 as the only rider on the CBR1000RR-R machine inside the top ten. Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) finished in 18th but it was his FP1 time that was his best with a 1\u201937.103s, after he lost a lot of running after a Turn 2 crash in FP2. The #7 was declared fit after a post-FP1 medical check on his return from injury. Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) showed good pace in FP2 but his day was disrupted by a crash at Turn 11, costing him valuable running time after he completed 12 laps with the #53 classified in 19th. Wildcard Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) was 22nd with Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) 23rd.<\/p>\n
\n\tREA LEADS YAMAHA CHARGE: Is the #65 in the podium fight?<\/p>\n
\n\tSix-time Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) has shown quick pace throughout the start of the weekend, finishing sixth in FP2 and in the combined classification, with a 1\u201936.539s. That put him seven tenths down on Bulega\u2019s pacesetting effort but he finished as the lead Yamaha rider, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) the next R1 rider in tenth. He was just 0.030s quicker than Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in 11th, while Michael Rinaldi (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu were 20th and 21st respectively and American wildcard Bobby Fong (Attack Performance Yamaha Racing) was 22nd after setting a 1\u201937.940s.<\/p>\n
\n\tVIERGE IN THE TOP 10, LECUONA DECLARED FIT: Mixed day for the Japanese manufacturer<\/p>\n
\n\tXavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was the lead Honda rider on Friday as he secured P7 as the only rider on the CBR1000RR-R machine inside the top ten. Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) finished in 18th but it was his FP1 time that was his best with a 1\u201937.103s, after he lost a lot of running after a Turn 2 crash in FP2. The #7 was declared fit after a post-FP1 medical check on his return from injury. Tito Rabat (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) showed good pace in FP2 but his day was disrupted by a crash at Turn 11, costing him valuable running time after he completed 12 laps with the #53 classified in 19th. Wildcard Tetsuta Nagashima (Honda HRC) was 22nd with Ivo Lopes (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) 23rd.<\/p>\n
\n\tJUST MISSING OUT: Gerloff narrowly outside the top 10<\/p>\n
\n\tGarrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has enjoyed success at Estoril in the past and he\u2019ll be hoping to utilise this on Saturday after finishing Friday in 13th place. The #31 set a 1\u201936.743s as he finished just a tenth away from the top ten, showing how close the WorldSBK field is on Friday at Estoril.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe top six from Friday\u2019s WorldSBK action, full results here<\/a>:<\/p>\n
\n\t1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it<\/a>\u00a0Racing – Ducati) 1\u201935.778s
\n\t2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.232s
\n\t3. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.570s
\n\t4. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.623s
\n\t5. Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) +0.647s
\n\t6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.761<\/p>\n
\n\tDon\u2019t miss Saturday\u2019s track action from 09:00 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass \u2013 now only \u20ac9.99!<\/a><\/p>\n