Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has been a revelation since arriving in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock, first in WorldSSP and then WorldSBK. A title contender immediately in 2024, ‘Bulegas’ has made big gains in his second season and currently leads the Championship by only nine points ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). In this special sit-down interview, the Italian rider spoke about his new contract with Ducati, his time in WorldSBK with the Italian manufacturer and his fights with Razgatlioglu as they scrap it out for the title.

STAYING IN RED: “When I started to talk to my manager and other brands, I only said that our main goal was to stay with Ducati”

In the lead up to his home round at Misano, it was announced that Bulega would remain with the factory Ducati squad for the 2026 campaign while also taking up a role as a MotoGP™ test rider for the Bologna-based manufacturer. He discussed his new contract, revealing that ‘feeling at home from the first day’ was a big part of the reason he stayed with his current team despite having some ‘alternatives’.

On his contract renewal, Bulega stated: “I’m really happy to continue with Ducati and Aruba for one more year. I had some alternatives but my main goal from the first day was to stay with them because I remember my first test with them, I remember feeling at home from the first day. The feeling with the bike is the most important thing but the feeling with the team, with a lot of people you have to stay with all year, is very important. When I started to talk to my manager and other brands, I only said that our main goal was to stay with Ducati.”

TWO YEARS WITH DUCATI: “Last year, I didn’t start with the idea of fighting for the Championship… I know my rivals are very, very strong, but I know I can be strong too”

Bulega made his WorldSBK debut in 2024 and won his first race in the season opener, before taking five more victories and finishing second behind Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in the standings. This season, ‘Bulegas’ has taken a huge step forward, nearly always fighting Razgatlioglu for wins at every circuit WorldSBK has visited so far. He reviewed his debut season in the Championship as well as looking ahead to this year’s goals, where he wants to beat last year’s P2 finish in the standings.

Bulega said: “Last year, I didn’t start with the idea of fighting for the Championship. It was a surprise for me to be so competitive until the last race. I won six races in my first year in WorldSBK; the first one was very special. The end of the season was also special. When I was arriving at a new track, confirming my speed, and gaining experience was important for me for 2025. The goal is trying to improve the position of last year. Only one can win and we’re here to try and do it. I think I don’t need anything special. I just need to stay calm, work like always and never give up. We know some circuits can be difficult, like Magny-Cours and maybe Estoril. Other circuits, like Aragon, Jerez, I can go fast. Until now, I’d evaluate my 2025 season as very good. We’ve had some victories, a lot of podiums and some pole positions and always at the front. I’m happy because we’re still fighting for the Championship, and this is my goal. This can be my year. I’ll try to do everything. I know my rivals are very, very strong, but I know I can be strong too. I started well and I continue doing well, being fast and strong. I hope this lasts until the end of the season.”

BOUNCING BACK FROM ASSEN DISASTER: “Sunday at Assen was the worst moment in WorldSBK for me… at Cremona, I had to recover some points”

In the Netherlands, Bulega had looked unbeatable until a tech issue in the Tissot Superpole forced him to retire. This meant he started Race 2 from tenth and, after fighting his way to the front of the field, had another technical issue which forced him to retire again. While Razgatlioglu had outscored him during the Dutch Round, the Turk’s P8 in Race 2 meant the gains he made were not as big as they might have been. Bulega responded next time out at Cremona, a circuit he revealed wasn’t his favourite, as he opened up the gap to ‘El Turco’ once again.

Looking back on the Assen disappointment and the Cremona success, the #11 stated: “Sunday at Assen was the worst moment in WorldSBK for me. My feeling with the bike was incredible, I was super-fast all weekend. I won Race 1 and then in the Superpole Race, I had a technical problem and then, in Race 2, when I was close to the victory, I had another technical problem. It was a very bad Sunday for us. I was very angry after Assen so, at Cremona, I had to recover some points. It was very difficult. Winning at Cremona was something out of my head. It’s my worst track and it’s difficult, I think, for our bike because there are very slow corners. I was so happy because it was difficult to imagine achieving that result.”

FIGHTING RAZGATLIOGLU: “Toprak is the biggest rival of my career…”

One key aspect of Bulega’s short WorldSBK career so far has been his battles with Razgatlioglu, including in his first season. They had an incredible scrap at Estoril, which Bulega won on the race to the line, while at Portimao this year, the duo couldn’t be separated at all. Heading to Most, traditional ‘Toprak territory’, Bulega was able to pass the BMW rider on the run to the line to deny Razgatlioglu a Most hat-trick.

Reflecting on his battles with Razgatlioglu, Bulega said: “I’m happy when I fight with Toprak. We always have great battles and never dirty, so this is important. I like to fight with him because I know he always knows what he’s doing. He’s nice. You have to be ready every turn because you can expect him to overtake you at every turn. You have to stay very focused. I’m happy when I’m fighting with him. I’m enjoying this season a lot. Toprak is the biggest rival of my career. I had many when I was in Moto3 and Moto2, but I never fought for the Championship. Toprak is the biggest rival. Toprak, next year, will go to MotoGP. He deserves this. From my side, it could be even more special to beat him this year, if I can beat him, I can say I beat a future MotoGP rider.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Another rider from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid is set to race at the Suzuka 8 Hours in early August. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will race at the iconic endurance race for BMW as he goes in search of a fifth win at the Japanese circuit. The #60 last won the race in 2018 for Yamaha, and also won it back-to-back for Honda in 2013 and 2014, and now has the goal of taking a third manufacturer to glory.

The Dutchman completes the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s line-up for the event, taking the place of Sylvain Guintoli who is skipping Suzuka. He’s joined by 2021 WorldSSP runner-up Steven Odendaal and Markus Reiterberger, who combines his EWC duties for BMW with a test rider role for the WorldSBK team.

Van der Mark is one of the most successful riders at the Suzuka 8 Hours race with four wins to his name already. He won in 2013 and 2014 for Honda when he rode alongside Takumi Takahashi – the rider with the most Suzuka victories – and Leon Haslam. He then went back-to-back again in 2017 and 2018, this time for Yamaha. In both of those races, he raced alongside Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and Katsuyuki Nakasuga. Van der Mark is searching for a fifth win at the classic endurance race with three different manufacturers.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is back in action as Donington Park awaits the field, with plenty of milestones on the horizon. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is aiming for back-to-back hat-tricks at the historic venue as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) looks to maintain his slender points lead. Check out some of the big stats and milestones to look out for at the Prosecco DOC UK Round below.

117-119 – Alvaro Bautista has 117 podiums, with 2 more he will reach a significant number, as 119 is the number of times Rea climbed on the top step of the podium.

50 – Standing at 66 wins, with a hat-trick of wins, Toprak Razgatlioglu will reach 69, exactly 50 fewer than record-holder Jonathan Rea (119). Rea posted his 69^th win at San Juan, Race 1, in 2018 ahead of Marco Melandri and Toprak Razgatlioglu.

67 – Donington Park matches Misano for WorldSBK races run: both started the season at 67 and will end up at 70. That is the third all-time spot behind Phillip Island (73) and Assen (71).

62 – Ducati have built up 62 podium finishes at Donington. Kawasaki are second-best with 56.

54 – In 67 races run at Donington Park, no fewer than 54 different riders have stepped onto the podium.

24 – British riders have won 24 races here: in 2018 Michael van der Mark stopped a record sequence of 11 wins by British riders, the longest for a country at this venue.

23 – The 23^rd of February is the only race day of this season without Toprak Razgatlioglu scoring points. Since then, when the Championship headed to Europe, he scored 263 points to Bulega’s 230.

19 – Jonathan Rea in 2023 took from Tom Sykes the record of podium finishes at Donington, upping his tally to 18 (Sykes 17), which became 19 last year.

15-16 – Ducati have recorded 15 pole positions at Donington Park: all their rivals are on a combined 16.

11 – 2025 marks the 11^th anniversary of Ducati’s last pole at Donington (2014, Davide Giugliano). Despite this drought, they won’t be reached soon as their pole tally here is 15, and the next competitor is Kawasaki at 10.

10 – The record string of wins by a manufacturer at Donington was set by Kawasaki: from 2013 to 2017 they won all 10 races run here.

10 – The last 10 races run here have been won either by Toprak Razgatlioglu (8) or Alvaro Bautista (2). The Titanic Trio of the aforementioned two plus Jonathan Rea has won all the races here since 2019 (15).

10 – One victory at Donington this weekend would be Razgatlioglu’s 10^th. He’d be the first rider to record 10 wins at Donington, and the second after Jonathan Rea to record at least 10 wins at two different venues; Razgatlioglu has 10 wins at Most, Rea has 17 at Assen and 13 at Portimao. He’d also surpass Tom Sykes’ nine wins at Donington with victory.

9 – 27 different winners at Donington: the most successful are Tom Sykes and Toprak Razgatlioglu at 9, followed by Carl Fogarty and Jonathan Rea at 6.

9 – 9 points between Championship leader and second place after 18 races. It’s the third time we have a single-digit gap in this century after: 2004: Toseland, who led Vermeulen by three points with 4 races to go and 2021, when Rea led Razgatlioglu by three points with 20 races to go.

7 – Tom Sykes is the record holder for Donington poles: 7. His next competitor is Carl Fogarty, with 4.

5×1– Tom Sykes was the sole polesitter here in the five weekends run from 2015 to 2019. This is the second-best string in history on any given track after the record one of 7 straight poles set by himself at Misano from 2011 to 2018.

1 – Donington Park was the stage of the first career win of four-time World Champion Carl Fogarty, back in 1992, Race 2.

1 – The first win for the Netherlands came at Donington Park, in 2018, thanks to Michael Van der Mark.

1 & 1-2 – BMW recorded their first WorldSBK win at Donington Park in 2012, Race 1, that was also a 1-2 with Marco Melandri winning and Leon Haslam as runner-up.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Six rounds in the books, six to go, as the FIM Supersport World Championship grid prepare to take on the Prosecco DOC UK Round. Championship leader Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) has seen his lead diminished to 47 points ahead of Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team). It’s still a formidable cushion, but across the last two rounds at Most and Misano, Manzi has been outscored by Oncu by 51 points. Matters are further complicated for the #62 by the fact the chasing pack is not just one or two riders, but often four or five, with Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) all looking strong at times.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: can Manzi bounce back at Donington?

After taking Race 1 victory at Misano, Manzi battled with Oncu in Race 2, but a Turn 16 fall handed Oncu the victory and another big chunk of points was taken out of his lead. A return to the consistency he showed at the start of the year is now vital for Manzi as he looks to stop the momentum his rivals have built over the last two rounds. Oncu has been on a better run of form than how he started the season, his worst result in the last two rounds is just P4, and in that time, taking a couple of wins. If he can continue this consistency, he will continue to lead the charge against Manzi who sits atop the field. Bendsneyder has struggled since Assen, failing to land a podium since then. Despite his best result in the last six races of just P5, due to his strong performances early in the season and Manzi’s recent struggles, he’s only seven points behind Oncu in P3.

MASIA’S RISE: The Spanish rookie has found another gear in the last two rounds

While he ended the weekend with a Race 2 crash, Masia earned his first WorldSSP Race win in Race 1 in Czechia. To follow that up, in his Ducati bike’s home round at Misano, he landed back-to-back P2s for a total points haul since Cremona of 65 points, second only to Oncu across that period. Masia finds himself in P4, 64 points back from Manzi, yet the rookie comes into Donington in red-hot form. Booth-Amos in fifth place sits just four points behind Masia with 142 points so far in 2025. Similar to Bendsneyder, he started the season on fire, however, has struggled with his form since his pair of P2s at Cremona. Could he be back to his race-winning best on home soil? Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) in P6 has had a frustrating season as, while he sits 92 points back from Manzi, he has been far closer to the Championship leader and the podium positions than the points tallies make it seem. Still looking for his first 2025 race win, the Frenchman earned P3, then P2 at Most, but needs to find another step to land on the podium more frequently as opposed to being the odd man out.

DEBISE GETTING CLOSER: the Frenchman closing in on a first win

Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) is another whose points tally perhaps doesn’t reflect their pace, with the Frenchman often challenging for podiums and occasionally in the lead fight; but the first win remains elusive. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) has been making gains on his Panigale V2 and will hope for a first rostrum of the season; although Donington is a circuit he’s not finished in the top five at. The sole Kawasaki rider on the grid, Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team), sits ninth in the Championship and has been a consistent contender in the top ten. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) has found some strong form in recent rounds and has climbed to tenth in the standings. He’s 20 points behind Alcoba but he’s not raced in WorldSSP at Donington before.

RIDER LINE-UP NEWS: two wildcards set for Donington duel

British rider Harry Truelove (MMB Racing) makes a return to the WorldSSP grid as a wildcard rider on a Panigale V2, joined by Irish teammate Eugene McManus (MMB Racing). Piotr Biesiekirski continues to stand in at the Team Flembbo – Pilote Moto Production outfit for Loic Arbel.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Yari Montella’s future in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has been confirmed with the news that the #5 will stay with the Barni Spark Racing Team for a second campaign. Montella made his WorldSBK debut this year with Marco Barnabo’s outfit and has impressed with his speed, and he is the first of the Barni Ducati riders to be confirmed for next season with the team on their Ducati Panigale V4 R machine.

IMPRESSING IN WORLD SUPERSPORT: a title contender in 2024

Montella’s first WorldSSP race came in 2021 with the GMT94 Yamaha squad, where he finished in the top ten twice at Portimao. He returned in 2022 with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and claimed his first win, in Australia, before moving to Barni Spark Racing Team’s new WorldSSP effort for 2023. Five podiums followed in his first year with the Ducati Panigale V2 before a title challenge in 2024: he claimed 14 podiums and seven wins in 24 races as he finished in third place, behind Adrian Huertas and Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing). Despite not clinching the title, the Italian secured a WorldSBK seat in 2025 alongside Danilo Petrucci.

WORLD SUPERBIKE ROOKIE CAMPAIGN: a series of top tens

Montella made his WorldSBK debut in 2025 at the Barni Ducati team at Phillip Island and claimed two top ten finishes. While Portimao was trickier, he still took P10 in Race 2, while he was eighth in Assen’s Tissot Superpole Race. P8 is the best result Montella has managed this season, on five occasions, although he has often threatened to finish higher in what is an incredibly close field in the top lower end of the top ten.

THE OVERALL PICTURE: 46 points, 16^th place in the standings

The Italian rookie has taken 46 points from the 18 races so far this season, although a series of crash – all in Race 1 at Phillip Island, Portimao and Assen – meant he hasn’t scored as many points as his pace has shown. Despite that, he is ahead of the more experienced Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) and just three points behind double WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team).

MONTELLA SAYS: “Knowing I have a team that supports me, pushes me and believes in me is fundamental

Discussing his 2026 renewal, Montella stated: “I want to thank Barni for this opportunity. It is the continuation of a project we both believe in, and I’m happy we are on the same wavelength. I also wanted to confirm my commitment to carry forward this path we started in 2023 in WorldSSP. The idea of doing another year together in WorldSBK is something we’ve all earned. This year, in races, we’ve shown we can be competitive. There’s still a lot of work to do, but knowing I have a team that supports me, pushes me and believes in me is fundamental. I’m really very happy. Now the goal is to finish this second half of the Championship in the best possible way.”

THE TEAM’S THOUGHTS: “There is plenty of room for growth and continuity is the key to further progress”

Providing the team’s view on the news, Team Principal Marco Barnabo said: “We are happy to continue the project started with Yari three seasons ago. We have believed in him since 2023 in WorldSSP and today, in his first WorldSBK season, he is showing all his potential. The results speak for themselves. There is plenty of room for growth and continuity is the key to further progress. Our goal remains to eld two bikes in the WorldSBK. With the arrival of the new Ducati Panigale, everything will change. It’s a challenging task, but we’re already working on it. We strongly believe in this project, which requires a great deal of resources and energy.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads to Donington Park for the Prosecco DOC UK Round and you won’t want to miss a moment of it. The action begins at 09:40 (Local Time, UTC+1) on Friday with WorldWCR Free Practice, followed by WorldSBK FP1 at 10:20 and WorldSSP FP at 11:20. In the afternoon, WorldSBK FP2 is at 15:00 with two Tissot Superpole sessions either side – WorldWCR at 14:10 and WorldSSP at 16:00. On Saturday, WorldSBK FP3 kicks the day off at 09:00 followed by Warm Up sessions for WorldWCR and WorldSSP. Then it’s WorldSBK Superpole at 11:00 before racing begins with a new schedule – WorldWCR at 12:20, WorldSSP at 13:35 and WorldSBK at 15:00. On Sunday, Warm Up sessions start the day from 09:00 before the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00. Then comes the action from Race 2 in all three classes – WorldWCR at 12:20, WorldSBK at 14:00 and WorldSSP at 15:15.

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Friday, 11^th July (Local Time, UTC+1)
09:00-09:25 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup Free Practice
09:40-10:05 – WorldWCR Free Practice
10:20-11:05 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1
11:20-12:00 – WorldSSP Free Practice
13:00-13:25 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup Superpole
14:10-14:35 – WorldWCR Tissot Superpole
15:00-15:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2
16:00-16:40 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole

Saturday, 12^th July
09:00-09:20 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3
09:30-09:40 – WorldWCR Warm Up
09:50-10:00 – WorldSSP Warm Up
11:00-11:15 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole
12:20 – WorldWCR Race 1 (12 laps)
13:35 – WorldSSP Race 1 (19 laps)
15:00 – WorldSBK Race 1 (23 laps)
16:15 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup Race 1 (10 laps)

Sunday, 13^th July
09:00-09:10 – WorldSBK Warm Up
09:20-09:30 – WorldWCR Warm Up
09:40-09:50 – WorldSSP Warm Up
11:00 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)
12:20 – WorldWCR Race 2 (12 laps)
14:00 – WorldSBK Race 2 (23 laps)
15:15 – WorldSSP Race 2 (19 laps)
16:15 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup Race 2 (10 laps)

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is heading home as the second half of an unforgettable campaign kicks off at the historic Donington Park. The British venue, situated in the picturesque countryside, hosted the first ever WorldSBK race back in 1988 and has often been the scene of plenty of drama thanks to its unique layout, so sit back, relax and enjoy what will be a phenomenal Prosecco DOC UK Round as the title battle ignites in the summer sun in the UK.

NINE POINTS IN IT: Razgatlioglu territory… but Bulega’s shown he can fight anywhere

Donington is traditionally Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) most successful track. He took his first podium there in 2018 and he has nine wins at the venue – one more and he becomes only the second rider, after Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha), to have 10 or more wins at two venues, while he would also surpass Tom Sykes’ record for victories at Donington. He completed a dominant hat-trick last year and this year’s UK Round completes a trio of venues where ‘El Turco’ secured consecutive triples – Most, Misano, Donington. He’s currently on 5/6 from Most and Misano and has closed the gap in the Championship down to just nine points but Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has shown ‘Toprak Territory’ means little to him; if he can take the fight to the #1, he will. He won a last-corner showdown at Most and was close in Race 1 at Misano, although his Sunday was compromised after being taken out in the Tissot Superpole Race. ‘Bulegas’ was on the rostrum twice last year and took two wins in WorldSSP in 2023 at the iconic venue, so he knows what it takes to win at Donington. Will he be able to extend his Championship lead or will Razgatlioglu move into first in the standings for the first time this season?

THE RACE FOR THIRD: advantage Petrucci but Bautista close behind…

The fight for P3 in the standings is also very close with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) holding a slender seven-point lead over Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) now dropping a bit further back from that fight. Petrucci’s first WorldSBK rostrum came at Donington Park, in Race 2 back in 2023, although he’s not tasted victory at the circuit. Bautista, in contrast, has after winning Race 1 and Race 2 in the same year Petrucci was on the rostrum for the first time. Donington has often been tricky for Ducati but the #19 has six rostrums there – all on the Panigale V4R, including third last year. The Spaniard is also fighting for his WorldSBK future, and a good performance at Donington could help secure a seat for 2026. Locatelli will be aiming to close the gap to the two ahead, but Donington is a circuit he’s yet to take a podium at, and only has two top-five finishes.

HOME HEROES: several riders looking for good results at Donington

There are plenty of local riders for the British fans to cheer on. Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) secured his only rostrum with Yamaha last year at Donington, in the Superpole Race, and the six-time Donington winner will be hoping to repeat that this year. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) heads into his home round in superb form and the #14 will be aiming to take a rostrum on home soil for the first time in WorldSBK, with a fresh two-year contract in his back pocket. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) heads into Donington on the back of a podium at Misano – Bimota’s first in 25 years – and was on the rostrum twice last year in Kawasaki green. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) will be hoping Donington can provide him with a return to his best form, having been a podium finisher in 2022 on the BMW; though he didn’t finish in the top three when on Ducati machinery in 2021.

STRONG RESULTS AT DONINGTON POSSIBLE? Riders head to the UK in form…

Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), like his teammate, showed incredible speed at Misano and will hope that translates to Donington after he put Bimota on the front row of the grid. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is a double Donington winner, having won both races in 2018, and will be hoping he can utilise his BMW package to fight for the podium. Honda HRC duo Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge have struggled at Donington in recent years, not cracking the top ten in 2023 or 2024, but head to the UK with an ever-improving package which they hope can take a big step compared to last year’s results. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) has his 2026 contract in his back pocket and will hope to use that as motivation to fight in the top ten on raw pace, having been a podium finisher at Donington with Yamaha. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) has been fighting with Locatelli for top Yamaha honours at times this season and he’ll hope to continue that at Donington.

AIMING FOR STRONG RESULTS: can Iannone find form at Donington?

Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) had one of his trickiest rounds at Donington in his rookie season, with a best finish of P10 in the Superpole Race and comes into this year’s UK Round not in the form he’s shown he can deliver. In the nine races since Australia, his best finish is P4 in Race 1 at Cremona, while he’s had retirements in five of those nine outings. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) both tackle Donington in WorldSBK for the first time while Sofuoglu’s teammate, Michael Rinaldi, will race there on the Yamaha R1 for the first time; during his team on Ducati machinery, he claimed a best result of fourth in Race 2 in 2022, but only finished in the top ten five times in 17 races.

GRID CHANGES: a change at MIE Honda, Bridewell makes wildcard appearance

With Tarran Mackenzie’s departure from the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda squad announced ahead of Donington, they have drafted in Tito Rabat to replace him in the UK; Rabat missed Misano but completed the first five rounds of the season with the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team outfit. Zaqhwan Zaidi (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) will also miss the UK Round and Portuguese rider Ivo Lopes – who tested for the team at Misano in May and has raced with them before – will replace the Malaysian. Elsewhere, Tommy Bridewell will make a first appearance of the season as a wildcard for Honda Racing UK; it will be his first time racing in WorldSBK at Donington, but he is a two-time winner at the venue in BSB. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will need to be passed fit following his crash at Misano and he will undergo his compulsory medical check on Thursday.

Watch the Misano highlights show HERE, read the Official Programme for Donington HERE and watch every moment from the UK using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!

Source: WorldSBK.com