Invaluable second place in Race 1 for Bulega who toughs it out after the crash in FP1. Bautista makes a super comeback from P17 to P5

  Race-1 of the Czech Round at Most, the fifth round of the 2025 WorldSBK season, ended with Nicolò Bulega taking second and Alvaro Bautista fifth.

The Italian rider (P2 on the grid) makes a good start and takes the lead of the race, which he manages to hold until the fourth lap when he is overtaken by Razgatlioglu (BMW) on braking at Turn 1. Despite widespread pain after the frightening crash in FP1, Bulega grits his teeth, tries to stay with the Turkish rider, then manages second place, which allows him to keep a 29-point lead in the world standings. 

Alvaro Bautista makes a small mistake in Superpole that costs him a lot, forcing him to start from tenth position. At the first corner, the Spaniard is involved in a mess with other riders but miraculously keeps on, albeit in seventeenth position. His race pace is extremely incisive, making him the protagonist of an inexorable comeback. In the last quarter of the race, he was the fastest on the track and even managed to take fifth place overall, just a whisker away from fourth.

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #11)
"I'm pleased with this result. On the eve of the round, we knew it would be difficult to stay with Toprak, and in light of Friday's crash, I admit that this is a very good second place. Let's see what we can do tomorrow, but I'm happy to take these 20 crucial points".

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #19)
‘Too bad about Superpole. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake in the last sector that made me lose those two-tenths that would have allowed me to start from the second row. We know that starting from the back means facing Turn 1 in the middle of the pack, and I was lucky to stay upright. During the race, the feeling was excellent. I can say that I had fun.