Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed victory in Race 2 at the Circuito Estoril as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship concluded at the historic Portuguese venue.
The #11 ensured the title battle will roll on to the season finale at Jerez next week with his 17th WorldSBK victory, as Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) came home in second for the EICMA Estoril Round.
As in the previous two races, Razgatlioglu lost ground at the start of the race, dropping to fifth behind Bulega, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) and Bautista, moving ahead of the #19 to take P4 at Turn 1 on Lap 2.
At Turn 6, ‘El Turco’ tried to pass Iannone but ‘The Maniac’ fought back; however, the #29 was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start. At Turn 9, Razgatlioglu was up to second after getting ahead of Locatelli and soon set his sights on Bulega, who was 1.4 seconds clear at the start of Lap 3.
The pair traded similar lap times throughout the first quarter of the race, with the gap hovering at just over a second. On Lap 7, ‘Bulegas’ lapped four tenths quicker to open the gap to 1.5 seconds, appearing to put some breathing room between himself and the BMW rider.
By the halfway mark, Bulega had extended the gap to over two seconds. While the gap did fluctuate a bit, Bulega went on to claim victory in Race 2, ensuring the title fight would go to the final round at Jerez.
The fight for third was another barnstorming battle, with Bautista slower in the first stages of the race and having to fend off his rivals. He had ‘Loka’ behind him at the start of Lap 5, who in turn was under pressure from Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who forced his way ahead of the Yamaha rider at Turn 1.
That order remained stable throughout the race with Bautista taking his third P3 finish of the weekend, which moved him into third in the Championship standings.
Bulega’s victory and Bautista’s rostrum ensured Aruba.it Racing – Ducati wrapped up the Teams’ Championship for 2025. The #22 finished in fourth after losing time in the final stages to Bautista, with Locatelli claiming P5.
Razgatlioglu claimed Superpole Race honours ahead of Bulega with Bautista resists challenges for P3. In the first race, Razgatlioglu beat Bulega in red-flagged Race 1 as Bautista completed the podium once again.
