2025 Phillip Island World Superbike: Friday Practice - LIVE
Live updates from Friday practice for the season-opening 2025 Australian WorldSBK round.
The 2025 World Superbike season begins with Friday practice at Phillip Island in Australia.
Title runner-up Nicolo Bulega heads into the weekend having dominated the pre-season test earlier this week, leading an all-Ducati top three ahead of Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci.
Meanwhile, BMW’s reigning champion Toprak Razgatlioglu made up for lost time after a big day one highside to reach fourth.
With Jonathan Rea out injured, team-mate Andrea Locatelli was the leading Yamaha in sixth ahead of Bimota duo Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani. Honda’s Xavi Vierge made it five manufacturers in the top ten.
Friday WorldSBK schedule:
Free Practice 1: 11:20-12:05
Free Practice 2: 16:00-16:45
The chequered flag waves on the first WorldSBK practice session of the year.
Nicolo Bulega remains fastest from the fellow Panigales of Andrea Iannone, Alvaro Bautista, Danilo Petrucci.
Dominique Aegerter (Yamaha) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) save their best for last to take over 5th and 6th.
Former Phillip Island race winner Alex Lowes is now the top non-Ducati in fifth for Bimota. The Englishman is lacking around 10km/h in top speed.
Razgatlioglu returns to the track with five minutes to go.
Into the last ten minutes and it's an all-Ducati top four with Bulega ahead of Iannone, Bautista and Petrucci.
One Ducati rider having a less successful morning is Scott Redding, who raises his hand due to a technical issue and is only 19th at the moment.
Bulega is currently in the Ducati pits, looking relaxed after his flying 10-lap run. 10 laps is the length of each race stint due to the mandatory pit stop.
Ryan Vickers has also had a spill, another lowside, this time at MG Corner. The rookie, currently 16th, restarts his Ducati and returns to the pits.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is down.
He loses the front at low speed through the Turn 4 hairpin (Miller corner).
The Turkish rider jumps straight back on his feet and restarts the BMW.
Razgatlioglu improves to sixth place but is still +0.962s behind Bulega.
Iannone trims Bulega's advantage to 0.372s.
Fastest for each brand:
Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) - 1st
Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) - 4th
Alex Lowes (Bimota) - 5th
Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) - 9th
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki) - 12th
Xavi Vierge (Honda) - 13th
Bulega pits after a very strong 10 lap run, reinforcing his pre-race favourite tag from testing.
Nicolo Bulega isn't backing off. He's down to a 1m 28.922s, putting the title runner-up 0.574s ahead of Andrea Iannone.
Bulega brings the best lap time down to a 1m 29.112s.
Order after 15mins: Bulega, Iannone, Bautista, Locatelli, A.Lowes, S.Lowes, Aegerter, Razgatlioglu, van der Mark, Bastianini, Gerloff, Vierge, Gardner, Montella, Vickers...
Locatelli now climbs to fourth, behind the Ducatis and ahead of the Lowes brothers.
Razgatlioglu is an early seventh, just behind the lone Pata Yamaha of Andrea Locatelli.
It's now a Ducati top three with Andrea Iannone ahead of Aruba team-mates Bautista and test leader Nicolo Bulega.
Former champion Alvaro Bautista sets the first 1m 29s of the day.
It's now a Lowes one-two, with Sam slotting into second behind Alex.
Alex Lowes is on top for Bimota after 5mins with a 1m 30.7s.
The green lights are on and the 2025 WorldSBK season officially begins.
Razgatlioglu is first out on track.
Some lap times to keep in mind for the upcoming session:
Fastest Phillip Island pre-season test time:
Nicolo Bulega Ducati 1m 28.680s (Day 2)
Official Phillip Island WorldSBK records:
Pole: Nicolo Bulega Ducati 1m 27.916s (2024)
Fastest race lap: Nicolo Bulega Ducati 1m 28.564s (2024)
WorldSBK Free Practice 1 will start at 11:40, just under five minutes.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is watching in the pits as CCTV replays are broadcast of his big Monday test highside. The reigning champion asks if it can be shown again, perhaps spotting something from what is thought to have been a traction control problem.
Marshals are still cleaning the track at Turn 8 where Filippo Farioli was thrown into a highside in WorldSSP.
