#FrenchWorldSBK Top Three Reflections – Nicolò Bulega: “Toprak is going very fast and I’m just on my limit with my bike.” – Vroom Magazine

#FrenchWorldSBK Top Three Reflections – Nicolò Bulega: “Toprak is going very fast and I’m just on my limit with my bike.”

Posted September 6, 2025

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ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu won by eight and a half seconds equalling Jonathan Rea’s record of most win at Magny-Cours with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Nicolò Bulega unable to match El Turco’s pace. Race One started with a multi rider crash at Turn 13 with Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Jonathan Rea, Team Pata Go Eleven’s Andrea Iannone and Barni Spark Racing’s Yari Montella all involved in an incident. Aruba.it Racing – Ductai’s Álvaro Bautista and Honda HRC’s Xavi Vierge were involved at the same corner. The race continued after they all made their ways back to the pits. Rea, Bautista and Iannone eventually retired from the race due to damage. Andrea Locatelli had an up and down Saturday. He had unfortunate Superpole session after crashing on his first fast lap which meant the Italian started 22nd. Locatelli went on to gain 16 positions and climbed up to sixth before finishing fifth after Sam Lowes had a crash (and rejoined) that relegated him to ninth. Kawasaki’s Garrett Gerloff had an unlucky ending to a great race. After qualifying 23rd, he – like Locatelli – made up 16 places and remained in seventh until his unfortunate crash at Turn 3. He rejoined but ultimately retired.

In 2024, this round was a small dip in Razgatlıoğlu’s title winning season as he suffered a heavy crash in the FP2 and was ruled out of the rest of the weekend through injury. This year he’s come back with fire and set an unbelievable Superpole time breaking the record with a 1.34.930. He talked about the weekend so far: “This year, especially this weekend I did the pole position with the new records and also had good strong pace. It looks like everything’s going well but this is motorsport, you know, everything is possible. I’m not getting more relaxed because I have two more races tomorrow. I’m just focused on this. Also in the last laps, I feel some engine brake problem, especially with the rear tyre, it dropped a little bit and I also had some sort of fuel drop and started rear locking on some corners. I lost a lot of time there.”

The engine brake has been a recurrent issue for Razgatlıoğlu but despite the issues today, he spoke about how far they have come with it: “We have improved a lot on the engine brake side because of the beginning of the season we had a big engine brake problem. Still now not 100% but much better. I adapt this, I’m just riding. I understand the bike where it’s sliding, where it’s stopping. I’m riding like this and sometimes you need to follow the bike style.”

At the start of the race, Bulega was overtaken by Alex Lowes as he went around the outside of the Ducati. Sam Lowes also then went past the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati bike. Bulega then pushed hard to get past both of the Lowes brothers to start his charge towards Razgatlıoğlu. Bulega talked about the reason he found it more difficult today: “From the front tyre, I struggle a little bit from grip but this is not the reason why we lose, Toprak is going very fast and I’m just on my limit with my bike. Like I said some days ago, my 100% at the beginning of the year now is not enough. So we have to try make a step and we are trying to make a step but is not easy because is working a lot. I’m working a lot but we are always at the same level.”

Bulega also discussed where he thinks Toprak is gaining time on him: “I think he can stop better the bike in the last metres and turn before. So this is good especially in some technical tracks that you don’t have a lot of space and you have to turn the bike in small metres. If you can stop better last metres and release the brake before and turn before is better. […] Now I brake very strong the first part of breaking but I miss the second part so we have to improve this.”

Bimota by Kawasaki’s Alex Lowes battled with his brother Sam Lowes -ELF Marc VDS Racing – for a lot of the race. Alex looked like he would’ve been able to push onto fight with Bulega towards the second half of the race despite Bulega then putting 2 seconds between them. Sam’s pace dropped a little bit in comparison to Alex before crashing and rejoining. Alex talked about where they have been assisting each other: “He helped me with his lap, he’s been helping a lot. I have helped him a little bit with my experience that I’ve got in World Superbikes with the tracks and he’s helped me with his speed. We have been enjoying it, honestly. It’s like a dream to be racing in a world championship together. In sessions when we’re both fighting for the front is fantastic. So we are able to enjoy it more than ever and it’s nice to be fast as well as get some good results.”

When asked what’s possible for the rest of this weekend, with his chase of Bulega towards the second half of the race, Alex answered: “I think if I have good track position and be behind them, I think in certain parts of the track – turn six, seven, eight and nine – I can really close on them so it’s going to depend on the start. I think we have a chance to fight with them.”