Bulega Breaks Toprak’s Heart at the Line in Most Thriller

Razgatlioglu’s Czech dominance comes undone in the final metres, Gardner lead Yamaha in fifth

Nicolo Bulega nailed the holeshot once again, diving into Turn 1 ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu, but chaos reigned behind. Alvaro Bautista made contact with Jonathan Rea and crashed, collecting Xavi Vierge and forcing Alex Lowes off track, while Vierge had to be helped away by marshals. Danilo Petrucci slotted into third, followed by Sam Lowes, with Rea charging into fifth. Yamaha filled out the next spots as well with Andrea Locatelli and Remy Gardner in sixth and seventh respectively.

Up front, Bulega and Toprak immediately broke away, their searing pace leaving Petrucci watching them disappear. Rea, under investigation for the first-lap incident, was showing strong early pace and closed in on the podium group before Lowes got by Petrucci for third. But Rea’s charge was short-lived—he was dealt a double long-lap penalty and dropped to 12th, promoting Gardner and Bassani up the order.

Toprak was biding his time behind Bulega, seemingly waiting until the second half of the race to pounce. The Ducati had a slight edge in top speed, but Toprak was menacing through the twistier sections. By Lap 12, the Turk made his first move, slicing into Turn 17, only for Bulega to strike straight back at Turn 1 on the next lap. They swapped spots again on Lap 14, Toprak landing a textbook block pass and starting to edge clear.

With ten seconds separating them from the battle behind, the race became a two-man war. Petrucci re-passed Sam Lowes for third, and Gardner muscled past Bassani to secure a top-five finish. Still, the eyes remained up front as Bulega clung on despite Toprak stretching the lead to nearly a second.

Then came Bulega’s counterpunch. As Toprak’s pace plateaued, the Ducati closed back in during the closing laps. With Toprak pushing hard and braking impossibly late into Turn 1, it looked like it might be just enough—but Bulega was relentless. On the final lap, he used the Ducati’s supreme drive out of the last corner to power past Toprak right before the line in a heart-stopping finish.

Toprak was left stunned, gesturing angrily at his BMW as Bulega celebrated a massive win. Petrucci claimed another gritty third place ahead of Lowes, while Gardner came home in a much improved 5th position.

Bassani settled for sixth, followed by a consistent Andrea Locatelli in seventh and Dominic Aegerter in eighth. Scott Redding brought the Bonovo Ducati home in ninth while Garrett Gerloff rounded out the top ten on the factory Kawasaki. Rea could only manage 12th after serving his double long-lap penalty for triggering the first-lap carnage.

Despite dominating most sessions throughout the weekend, Toprak managed to claw back just three points on championship leader Bulega, who now sits on 277 points to Toprak’s 241. Danilo Petrucci’s third consecutive podium lifted him to 162 points, allowing him to leapfrog a luckless Alvaro Bautista—who remains on 141 after his race-day DNF. This win for Bulega is important not only for the extra points, but for the psychological statement it makes ahead of Ducati’s home round at Misano in four weeks.

P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It’s been a really up-and-down weekend. On Friday, I had a huge crash, and now we’ve finished with a victory in Race 2. It’s been an incredible weekend. We never gave up and the team improved the bike a lot throughout the weekend. The bike felt much better today and I was able to ride how I like to. I’m really happy, especially because this circuit isn’t one that suits my riding style. To get the win here after such a tough start means a lot. Now I hope to repeat this performance at Misano.”

P2 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
“At the beginning of the race, I was just following Nicolo. When I felt ready, I passed him and tried to do my rhythm. In the final laps, I had too much spin. It was bad on the exit of the last corner. I was losing a lot on the straight, especially compared to the Ducati. I gave more than 100% in all the races this weekend. I’m a bit angry because the bike started to cut power and I lost the win at the last corner. Still, we did a good job, so thanks to my team and all the fans.”

P3 – Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team)
“I really wanted to be on the podium again but it was tough because Sam was really fast. We had the same pace, but I told myself, ‘I want that podium.’ He made one small mistake and I was there to take advantage. Congratulations to him, and also to Nicolò and Toprak, because they’re doing an incredible job. I’m really happy with the work my crew is doing. It’s been a weekend of third place finishes for me but we’re in the fight, and I’m very happy.”

Czech WorldSBK Race 2

WorldSBK Standings