2025 Italian WorldSBK: Race 2 As It Happened
Live coverage of Race 2 from the 2025 Italian WorldSBK at Cremona Circuit.
The World Superbke Superpole Race from the 2025 Italian WorldSBK is set to get underway at 11:00 local time.
Nicolo Bulega starts from pole position after setting a new all-time lap record in Superpole yesterday. The Italian also won from pole position in Race 1.
Sam Lowes and Toprak Razgatlioglu round out the front row, with Alvaro Bautista, Xavi Vierge, and Remy Gardner on row two.
Bulega carries a 26-point championship lead into this morning's race, so is guaranteed to maintain the championship lead ahead of Race 2 this afternoon whatever happens in the Superpole Race.
It's victory again for Nicolo Bulega in Race 2 here in Cremona. Toprak Razgatlioglu takes second ahead of Alvaro Bautista.
Petrucci takes fourth ahead of Sam Lowes, who passes Lecuona for fifth at the end of the back straight.
Lecuona sixth and Vierge takes seventh.
Locatelli, van der Mark, and Gardner round out the top-10.
Bulega's lead stands at two seconds at the beginning of the final lap now.
Further back, Lecuona has taken over fifth from Vierge, who also lost sixth to Lowes. Lowes now chasing Lecuona for that top-five spot.
Sam Lowes had caught Vierge for fifth, but before he could make his move he was passed by Lecuona who has made it a Honda 5-6.
Bulega's gap coming down marginally now but presumably just managing for the Italian. It's under two seconds but with only three to go you can't imagine he's under much real threat.
Van der Mark was given a drop one position penalty and has now served that penalty - he dropped a place to Remy Gardner but has now taken it back and is continuing to run in ninth place.
Into the final five laps now, and Bulega's lead is up to two seconds.
Lowes still closing in on Vierge, and Lecuona has passed Locatelli for seventh. Solid race for Honda in fifth and seventh for now.
Lowes now closing in on Vierge, too, he was the second-fastest rider on-track on lap 16 and is now just over a second behind the Spaniard.
1.5s now for Bulega. Razgatlioglu still lapping faster than Bautista by about a tenth.
Further back, Sam Lowes has made it up into 6th past Locatelli. It was another poor start from Lowes who dropped to seventh or eighth, but it's been a solid recovery ride.
Bulega now a second clear of Razgatlioglu, and the race for the win appears to be run.
Razgatlioglu 5.5s clear of Bautista.
0.6s now for Bulega. Not an awful lap for Razgatlioglu but his 29.0 plays a 28.9 from Bulega.
Another lap ticks by and Bulega still can't get the gap above 0.5s. And they're both still in the 1:28s.
Razgatlioglu keeps the gap at 0.4s that time. The pace of these two is ridiculous - 1:28.8s for the pair of them that time, almost everyone outside the top-five aren't even in the 1:29s.
Almost half-a-second for Bulega that time by.
Razgatlioglu now has 4s back to Bautista whose pace cannot go with the front two into the high-1:28s.
It was a personal best lap of the race for Razgatlioglu last time round, the gap now still under the 0.3s mark as we begin lap 10.
Separately, Tarran Mackenzie has retired.
Petrucci with a pass on Vierge for fourth place. A bit more dramatic than he probably wanted, his dangled boot catching the floor under braking at the end of the straight.
Razgatlioglu couldn't cover the inside that time because Ryan Vickers was on the left hand side of the track, riding his bike back to the pits after his crash.
Vickers was totally off the line and well out of the way, but it meant Razgatlioglu had to leave some space, and Bulega took advantage of that.
Bulega leads on lap five, he's made his move on the back straight past Razgatlioglu, who can't respond as Bulega covers the inside at the final corner.
Bulega forced to the outside again this time and Razgatlioglu fends him off once more as we begin lap five.
Further back, Ryan Vickers has crashed out.
Razgatlioglu continuing to lead, and this time Bautista is hanging on somewhat in third - he's still within half-a-second at the end of lap three.
Bulega tries to respond immediately on lap two, but he's forced to the outside at the end of the straight by Razgatlioglu who holds on.
Gabriele Ruiu has retired with an apparent bike issue.
Razgatlioglu repeats his final corner move of yesterday after a mistake at the end of the straight from Bulega, and the BMW rider leads at the end of lap one.
It's lights out in Cremona and a strong start for Razgatlioglu, but Bulega makes the holeshot. Razgatlioglu second, Bautista third, then Vierge and Locatelli.
Apologies - jumped the gun on that previous warm-up lap comment. Riders are now on their warm-up lap, though.
The riders are off on their warm-up lap in Cremona ahead of WorldSBK Race 2.
