Scott Redding reflected on his “mega” Phillip Island WorldSBK after previously expressing a lack of self-belief.

The 32-year-old finished the opening round of the new season with two fourth-place finishes and a fifth-place finish.

The new season marked a change for Bonovo Racing as the satellite team formed a new partnership with Ducati, ending its affiliation with BMW.

The Brit reflected on his first weekend back aboard a V4 Panigale having previously spent two years with the factory outfit in 2020 and 2021.

Redding expressed that he had second-guessed his ability after three difficult years with BMW, but his performances in Australia have provided a confidence boost.

“I think it was a mega first weekend, of course I want to be fighting for the podium, I just didn’t end up on the podium, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying or giving my all because I did everything I could,” he said to WorldSBK.

“I think me and the team need to learn a little bit still but the team have been amazing, I have had so much fun with them this whole week of racing, on and off the track.

“It would have been nice to be on the podium, my plan of 5^th, 4^th, then 3^rd to be the comeback kid but I just didn’t quite have it today.

“It’s good for me to know that I’m capable of running in the top 5 again in WorldSBK because after three difficult years I questioned myself for sure, I think its normal for every rider to have that question mark of ‘do I still have it?’

“I was a bit nervous because we made a big plan to have Ducati in this team, and I’ve been working hard, my management has been working hard, the team has been working hard to find the funding to even make this happen.

“So there was a lot of pressure on my shoulders, so Race 1 I was sort of shaking in my boots as we say, but then I got the rhythm, built my confidence, and now I’m looking forward to this season.”

Scott Redding: All weekend ‘I was riding at 105%’

Redding revealed his only regret of the weekend’s work was not featuring on the rostrum.

The British rider explained that he is still finding his feet on the Ducati, as limited pre-season testing hampered his re-adjustment to the Panigale.

He revealed he was riding over the limit at “105%” but was ultimately “happy” with his results.

“My Sunday was good, I really wanted that podium so bad, in the Superpole Race I was also battling with Danilo [Petrucci] but I’m still just learning a few things on the bike with the used tyres, and also with the electronics and the bike setup because honestly we only really started to feel good with the bike here in testing, it was the only time we made progress with the bike.

“Now we’re learning a lot and it’s fantastic being back at the front and overtaking guys, being where I feel I should be.

“I had a lot of fun, in the second race I said ok, find the yellow bike or the red bike and use everything to stay after them.

“I had a great start, I was right on both of them and said ok, don’t let go, but they were just faster than me, I was riding at 105%, and they looked like they were relatively comfortable.

“I did the best I could do, and walking away with three top fives, I’m happy with that.”

Redding ended the first weekend in fifth place in the championship with a total of 30 points, behind Barni Spark’s Danilo Petrucci, Team GoEleven’s Andrea Iannone, and the factory Ducati duo of Nicolo Bulega and Alvaro Bautista.

READ MORE – Scott Redding: ‘I don’t get paid’ but Bonovo Ducati switch gives me ‘motivation’ for 2025 WorldSBK season

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Yamaha has announced that the team’s test rider Augusto Fernandez will replace Jonathan Rea at the WorldSBK Portimao round.

The 2022 Moto2 champion Fernandez will feature at both the Portimao test and race weekend, with both events taking place throughout March.

Rea sustained multiple fractures in his left leg on Day 1 of the Phillip Island test and flew back home to his native Northern Ireland to have surgery.

The Ulsterman’s time on the sidelines means Fernandez will make his WorldSBK debut. The 27-year-old previously spent two seasons with Red Bull GasGas Tech3 in MotoGP before joining Yamaha’s test team for the 2025 season.

“First of all I would like to send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Jonathan Rea and to thank Yamaha for this opportunity,” Fernandez said to WorldSBK.com.

“This will be my first experience of racing with the R1 but also of racing in WorldSBK. I can’t wait to get to the Portimão test to spend some time on the bike and to see how it feels.”

Niccolo Canepa, the Road Racing Sporting Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, added: “Jonathan has been sorely missed here in Phillip Island, but we are happy that the surgery on his injuries was successful and that he has now started the recovery process.

“We hope to see him fully fit and back on the bike as soon as possible. In the meantime, we spoke with Augusto and Yamaha Motor Racing about the possibility he could stand in for Jonathan in Portimao and he was keen to do so.

“He is familiar with the circuit, and with the test scheduled ahead of the race we can give him track time with the R1 WorldSBK ahead of the event.

“We must thank Yamaha Motor Racing and the MotoGP team for their support, and we are looking forward to welcoming Augusto to the team and to the WorldSBK paddock.”

Jonathan Rea underwent successful surgery on his left foot

The six-time WorldSBK champion announced on his social media that he underwent successful surgery.

The Northern Irishman flew home to Belfast last Wednesday for the surgery despite an initial delay due to swelling as a result of his crash.

“I would like to thank Dr Michael McMullan and his team at the Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast for the urgency and care to deal with my foot injury,” Rea said.

“After reviewing the scans from my crash in Australia we made the decision to fly home directly and perform surgery to stabilise and fix the injuries in my foot.

“The surgery was successful and I will continue my recovery at home with my medical team.

“I want to thank my team, my family and of course all my fans who have been sending me positive messages during these difficult days.”

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Nicolo Bulega hailed his Ducati bike as “perfect” after securing three wins at the WorldSBK Phillip Island round.

The 25-year-old dominated proceedings across the weekend as he racked up the maximum 62 points to kickstart his 2025 campaign.

The Italian completed his first WorldSBK treble and his nearest contender in the championship standings is teammate Alvaro Bautista, who trails 26 points behind.

Bulega topped every session throughout the week, both in pre-season testing and during the race weekend, sending a strong statement to the field.

“I’m really happy because this is my first hat-trick in Superbike,” Bulega told WorldSBK.com after Race 2.

“It’s incredible, an amazing feeling to do it in my favourite track – it’s something special. Now I want to go back home to celebrate.

“I feel very good, very proud of what me and my team did because my bike was perfect from Monday’s test until Sunday and the last lap of Race 2.

“I was able to push every lap of this week, I enjoyed riding every lap.”

Bulega acknowledged a mistake he made in Race 2, which nearly cost him what would have been his elusive third win of the weekend.

He stated: “I braked a bit more inside at turn four and with the knee slider I touched a bit the kerb that is a bit taller than the asphalt and it moves a lot my leg because it blocks my leg on the kerbs.

“When I opened my leg I lost the front and I almost crashed – I made a not bad save with the knee!”

Nicolo Bulega pinpoints two riders who will be a threat at Portimao round

The 2024 series runners-up pinpointed two riders who will be a threat at the second round of the championship in Portimao.

The series returns to the Algarve on the 28th of March, a track where Bulega finished second last season despite battling illness.

“I’m confident, because last year in Portimao I finished second with a lot of fever, so I think we can be competitive again,” the Italian said.

“I think it will be not so easy because Toprak [Razgatlioglu] especially will be very fast in Portimao, but also Alvaro [Bautista] and other riders.

“So, I will try to maintain this level, but I think it’s very difficult.”

READ MORE – Nicolo Bulega seals dominant Australian WorldSBK treble with Race 2 victory

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Nicolo Bulega sealed a convincing flag-to-flag WorldSBK Superpole victory at Phillip Island, winning his second race of the weekend.

No rider could reach the levels displayed by the 25-year-old, but Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci finished as his closest challengers to round off the podium list.

All riders started in the same positions as in Race 1, and once again, Bulega sustained his lead into Turn 1.

Iannone and the second Aruba.it Ducati rider of Alvaro Bautista snatched second and third off defending champion Toprak Razgatlioglu from the get-go.

As the field headed into Turn 4 chaos ensued as Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista weren’t able to brake heading into the corner on their respective bikes.

Quite incredibly, both riders were able to avoid crashing into other riders nearby. Fortunately, Razgatlioglu found a small and fortunate spot between Iannone and Bulega to slot his bike towards as he went into the gravel traps.

This incident was well anticipated by Bautista who steered his bike off course into the gravel traps to avoid any further chaos.

Garrett Gerloff and Xavi Vierge crashed out at this very corner, too, but both riders rejoined and avoided injuries. Two laps later HRC rider Vierge was issued a long-lap penalty for irresponsible riding as he was the root cause for this particular incident.

Bautista suffered a crash on Lap 2 himself but later rejoined despite sustaining damage to his V4 Panigale.

Back on track, Bulega established a near-second advantage in the opening half of the race. Behind the Italian were three of the leading satellite Ducati teams as2 Petrucci and Scott Redding squabbled for the final podium spot.

As the leading four riders spaced out by Lap 5, Marc VDS rider Sam Lowes entered the fold after displaying rapid lap times as he caught up to the back of his fellow countryman, Redding.

Razgatlioglu recovered his way through the field to pass WorldSBK rookie Ryan Vickers on Lap 6, though question marks loomed over a potential penalty for his riding on Lap 1.

The Turkish rider will start 10th for Race 2 later in the afternoon as he had not reached ninth place by the end of the race.

After the ten laps, Bulega crossed the line to win once again with ease, where the Italian established a 2.324s advantage to win once again.

Four independent Ducati teams finished in second to fifth place, led by Team GoEleven rider Iannone who made up for his woes in the first race.

Petrucci fended off Redding despite the Brit’s continued pressure, as the 2024 lead independent rider finished one better from Race 1.

Lowes managed an impressive fifth, finishing ahead of Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli who endured a quiet race considering the drama from the start.

Alex Lowes established seventh for Bimota on its return to the Superbike paddock, edging out the second Barni Spark rider of Yari Montella.

Axel Bassani’s ninth-placed finish ensured an impressive top-ten display for both Bimota riders, as the Italian pipped hometown hero Remy Gardner to ensure the best possible start for Race 2 later on today.

Dominique Aegerter finished in 11th place as Razgatlioglu recovered to an uncharacteristic 12th place finish.

Vierge recovered from his fall to finish ahead of the second BMW rider Michael van der Mark, who relinquished multiple positions on the final lap due to bike troubles.

Vickers picked up 15th spot after occupying the vast majority of the race there as he continued his adaption to the series.

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Aruba.It Ducati rider Nicolo Bulega steamrolled to Superpole success at the WorldSBK season opener in Phillip Island.

The 25-year-old star continued his impressive week down under and produced a stunning lap time of 1.28.824s.

This week Bulega topped the timesheets in all four Free Practice testing sessions, all practice sessions for the race weekend and has secured himself the Superpole.

The 2024 WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu salvaged a second place for BMW despite all its testing woes in pre-season, but that was due to the Turkish rider using the tow of Bulega’s Panigale on one of his time attacks.

Team GoEleven rider Andrea Iannone rounded off the top three, maintaining his impressive pace from the week-long proceedings leading up to qualifying.

As always, the 15-minute session offered limited time for riders to set their fastest laps, determining the full grid for Race 1 later in the day and the Superpole Race on Sunday.

Riders had to go full throttle around the fast-paced streets of Phillip Island, a track notoriously famous for reaching speeds of over 100 miles per hour on average.

Team HRC rider Iker Lecuona highsided and crashed out at Turn 9 on his first run, causing a red flag just four minutes into the session. As Lecuona was stretchered off, the marshals cleared the debris from the track.

The pause in action didn’t last long, but with under 11 minutes remaining, riders had even less time to post important lap times.

Given its sheer pace in testing and in the early practice sessions, Ducati’s dominance continued as three further riders locked out the second row. The second factory Ducati rider of Alvaro Bautista qualified fourth, closely followed by the 2024 Independent’s Team champion Danilo Petrucci and Bonovo Racing’s Scott Redding.

The second BMW of Michael van der Mark recorded a steady seventh-place finish for the Bavarian brand, edging out Pata Maxus Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli in the closing stages.

Kawasaki rider Garrett Gerloff kicked off his new WorldSBK venture with a ninth-place qualification, lapping quicker than Lincolnshire twins Alex and Sam Lowes.

Honda’s Xavi Vierge completed the session in 12th despite his teammates woes, as debutant Yari Montella qualified 13th on the second independent Barni Spark V4.

Axel Bassani settled for 14th spot on Bimota’s welcomed return to the paddock, bettering the lap time of Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter.

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Nicolo Bulega feels Ducati has brought a “strong package” ahead of the WorldSBK season opener at Phillip Island.

Bulega was the runner-up in the series during his debut year in 2024, finishing second to BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Due to weather conditions, the Ducati rider had limited testing earlier in pre-season in Portimao and Jerez.

But as the paddock travelled down under ahead of the season opener, the 25-year-old displayed impressive form and finished top of the timesheets in all four Free Practice sessions.

“I improved the feeling from yesterday [Monday], which was already good, so I think we have a strong package to start the race weekend,” he said to WorldSBK.

“I’m happy with how the bike feels—everything is working well at the moment.

“Of course, we still have room for improvement, but I’ve already made a small step forward from yesterday, and if we can take another, that would be great.

“Testing is one thing—it’s important to have a good feeling, but at the end of the day, you don’t score points in testing.

“I’ll start Friday with a positive mindset, knowing we have a strong package, I feel good at this circuit, and the bike is working well here.

“Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going and improve a little more.

I’m really looking forward to the first race of the year—finally, we’re getting started! I have to admit, I don’t enjoy testing that much; I prefer race weekends.

“Testing can get a bit boring, so I’m really excited to start racing.”

Nicolo Bulega predicts ‘interesting’ WorldSBK season opener

Ahead of the season opener, the Italian predicts an ‘interesting’ weekend, with multiple manufacturers likely competing for victories.

While Bulega remained grounded, he picked out five riders who all had a chance of winning races, with two of those riders representing BMW and Yamaha.

“I don’t know if I’m the favourite, I’m just thinking about where I can improve.

“Everyone will improve so I know I need to keep taking steps forward and improving with my team, keeping the good confidence with the bike, and always staying in the first position.

“Lots of riders were fast during the test like Toprak Razgatlioglu, Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Locatelli, Alvaro Bautista, lots of fast guys very close, I think it will be an interesting weekend.”

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Danilo Petrucci says he is anticipating close racing in Phillip Island WorldSBK but expects Nicolo Bulega to come out on top.

Petrucci finished third in testing ahead of the opening round in Australia this weekend.

The Italian raced in the Dakar Rally in January, and admitted the physical and mental toll had him worried ahead of the test.

However, the Barni Spark racer was delighted with his form over the two days.

“I’m happy with these two days because I was quite worried,” Petrucci said via GPOne.

“The last months have been tough. I started training before Dakar to come prepared for that race, like testing, but the rally raid was tougher than I thought on a physical and mental level.

“I was driving a vehicle that was new to me and it was very stressful, plus I was scared. Luckily at Jerez and Portimao we tested very little because I was really exhausted.

“Here however, I got here in a better condition and from the very first lap I was fast and very often in the lead. I must say I am very happy with the feeling.

Petrucci: Expect a “bar brawl” for Phillip Island WorldSBK podium

After a close test, Petrucci admits the battle for the podium will be closely fought, but that Ducati’s Bulega will be in a race of his own.

“I see a great battle for the podium, at least between five or six riders, although Bulega has shown from the beginning that he has an extra gear,” Petrucci said.

“For the podium, I expect a battle between myself, Iannone, Bautista, Razgatlioglu, the two Bimotas and Locatelli.”

“I think we will all be bunched up, so just getting stuck will not be enough to catch up with those in front.

“There will definitely be a big tussle. Personally I would have preferred a solo race like Bulega seems to be able to do.

“There will be bar brawl and I’m convinced that a great race will come out.”

Read more – Alex Lowes ‘optimistic’ for 2025 WorldSBK season after ‘positive’ Portimao test

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Alvaro Bautista shared his visible delight with the day’s work after completing Day 1 of the Phillip Island WorldSBK test.

After a difficult 2024 season where the two-time WorldSBK champion picked up only four race wins, the Spaniard has taken another step in rediscovering his form and confidence.

Bautista relied on favourable weather conditions at Phillip Island after suffering a highside crash and having limited testing time due to weather at the Portimao test.

The Spaniard finished fourth and fifth following the two Free Practice sessions as his teammate Nicolo Bulega topped the charts on both occasions.

Despite finishing a second adrift in the second session, the 40-year-old is in a positive frame of mind.

“I’m really happy with the first day at Phillip Island because I started to recover a good feeling with the bike with confidence, he told WorldSBK.

“We worked just a little bit on the bike and the setup for the race, no big change, but all the change we did a step forward so I’m really happy with confidence.

“Also, I have to congratulate to Pirelli because they brought two different tyres from last year we had some problems. This year, in the test we did a lot of laps, good performance [and] no problems so I can say that today has been a positive first day.

“More better than 12 [months ago] but also from the last race in Jerez and the last test. Because today I felt like I rode the bike, not that the bike rode me, so I have more confidence.

“So basically, today I enjoyed the track.”

Bautista’s future beyond 2025 will depend on ‘how the first three or four races go’ – Ducati

Despite the recent struggles on track, Bautista put pen to paper on a one-year extension, meaning his contract expires at the end of 2025.

Ducati team boss Serafino Foti revealed ahead of the week down under that the future of Bautista’s career will depend on the first third of the season.

He believes the key to regaining Bautista’s confidence is to get his season off to the best possible start.

“The important thing is to get off to a good start, because I think if he can do that then he will be able to find the feeling again,” he said to GPOne.

“Since even last year he was very strong in some races like Aragon, where he had an incredible feeling.

“He has not forgotten, but it is clear we have to be the ones to help him find those sensations he had in 2022 and 2023.

“Knowing him, he races because he has fun and to perform, and in my opinion he himself would be the one to say enough if he doesn’t have the performance.

“I don’t think that will happen, though, because Alvaro can still give so much. He looks like a kid even though he is 40 years old.

“I hope to continue with him, but rightly we will see how the first 3 or 4 races go, and then he will be the first to decide his future.”

READ MORE – Alvaro Bautista rues ‘poor’ WorldSBK testing amid highside crash

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