The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was back in action for an exciting Race 1 at the new addition to the race calendar today. Danillo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed his first World Superbike win, making it his eleventh career podium. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took his fifteenth career podium in second whilst Spaniard Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) put in an impressive performance to take third. Petrucci becomes the first rider to win in MotoGP, WorldSBK, STK1000, STK600, MotoAmerica and a stage of the Dakar Rally.

DUCATI LED FROM LIGHTS OUT

It was a Ducati front row start at the Italian circuit, with Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) alongside Petrucci and Bulega on pole position. A close three-way battle followed in the perfect dry conditions. Petrucci, who had been strong all weekend demonstrated his dominance on the bike, pushing hard for his maiden win.

LEUCONA STRONG: Impressive performance from Honda rider

Turn 10 saw Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) crash out of contention despite riding a strong race in the top 10, whilst Spaniard Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was riding hard working his way through the field. Despite looking competitive for the rostrum, it wasn’t to be Iannone’s dream Italian race as he crashed out of contention, leaving Petrucci and Bulega battling for the top spot and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) holding third with 13 laps to go.

RACE RED FLAGGED: Bulega and Bautista secure valuable Championship points

With 12 laps remaining in Cremona, Lecuona made an impressive move to take third place from Locatelli whilst Bautitsa worked his way from seventh position to third with just eight laps to go. At two thirds race distance the race was red flagged, resulting in a Ducati podium lockout, the first time in Italy since Imola in 2010. Honda ride Lecuona took his first top 5 since Portimao 2023 after an outstanding ride at the Italian Circuit. The #9 Petrucci is the 9^th oldest rider at his maiden win and becomes the 81^st World Superbike winner. He stood on the top step of the podium with Championship contenders Bulega and Bautista completing the Race 1 Cremona rostrum.

BEST OF 2024 FOR BASSANI: a P5 finish for the first time in a year

Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took a P5 finish on home soil, his best result of the 2024 season while it was his also his first top-five result since MotorLand Aragon last year. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) came home in sixth place ahead of Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in seventh, after he started from 17th on the grid. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was eighth with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) in P9 and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) completing the top ten.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:

1. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.590s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +6.383s
4. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +7.583s
5. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +10.125s
6. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +10.211s
Fastest lap: Andrea Iannone (Ducati) – 1’29.397s

Next up in Cremona is the Superpole Race on Sunday at 11:00 Local Time (UTC +1), so make sure you watch the action using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) is a MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race winner. After outlining it as his goal to create history, ‘Petrux’ claimed victory in Race 1 at the Cremona Circuit to make a small bit of motorsport history after beating Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in a red-flagged Race 1 during the Acerbis Italian Round and a visibility emotional Petrucci reacted to that after his incredible win.

THE HISTORY-MAKING RACE: Petrucci bounces back from penalty to win…

The Italian rider took third in this morning’s Tissot Superpole session but had to start from sixth place due to a three-place grid penalty for slow riding on the racing line during Free Practice 2. Despite the penalty, Petrucci was already up to fourth by the end of Lap 1 and was in the podium places a lap later after he got ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha). He spent two laps behind Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) before passing the #11, and then setting his sights on Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in the lead.

Petrucci got a good run out of Turn 7 and moved ahead of Iannone at the left-hand Turn 8 hairpin to pass his compatriot on Lap 5. From there, the #9 was able to pull out a gap over Iannone, and then Bulega, when the #29 crashed at Turn 7. It means Petrucci becomes the first rider to win in MotoGP™, WorldSBK, STK1000, STK600, MotoAmerica and a stage of the Dakar Rally to etch his name in motorsport history. He’s the 18^th rider to win a race in both MotoGP™ and WorldSBK, adding his name to a prestigious list.

“IT’S SOMETHING SO UNEXPECTED!” – Petrucci on his win

Reflecting on his history-making victory, Petrucci said: “It’s unbelievable! It’s a great feeling because it was really unexpected after yesterday’s penalty. I thought it could be difficult to jump on the podium but after a few laps, I understood that I had good pace. I hit the front but expected a better pace although I was leading. With five to go, the red flag came, and I started to think about two-thirds race distance. I was doing the maths, got to the pitbox and then realised that I had won! I couldn’t believe it but when I took the helmet off, I could say that I won in MotoGP™, Dakar and now back to road racing and winning in World Superbike. It’s something so unexpected; I have ticked all the boxes! When I hit the front, it was like I’d already seen this scene and I could win my first race like I did in Italy in MotoGP™. However, this was just Lap 3 or 4! The race was really, really long and I was counting laps from 15 to go! It’s incredible that I achieved my first win in Italy again in front of the crowd, it’s something unbelievable and I appreciate everyone who joined us today.”

FROM HOSPITAL BED TO VICTORY LINE: Petrucci’s superhuman comeback culminates in victory

It’s been a remarkable season for Petrucci who, in May, suffered horrific injuries in a motocross training crash. He underwent surgery on his injuries and remarkably only missed one round – at Assen, when his replacement rider, Nicholas Spinelli, claimed a stunning win after an intermediate tyre gamble. Petrucci returned to action at Misano and claimed a heroic P6 in Race 2 before becoming a regular on the rostrum: he claimed podium finishes at Most, Portimao and three at Magny-Cours before a famous win at Cremona.

Reflecting on his motocross crash that left him out injured earlier in the season, an emotional Petrucci spoke about how he’s come back to the top step: “I was just afraid to die; I closed my eyes until we got to the ambulance and from that moment on, I said that this was my second chance and I started to be happy for what I have and be lucky and appreciate it instead of what I missed. I thought about the past and thought that maybe I could have done more on the sporting side but actually, I then thought after that I can still achieve great things. My results started to climb but it’s all my second chance.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Pakita Ruiz (PS Racing Team 46+1) +6.418s Fastest lap: Roberta Ponziani (Yamaha) – 1’41.235s

Source: WorldSBK.com

Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) will be a MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider next season after inking a deal with his current Barni Ducati team to race alongside Danilo Petrucci in 2025. Montella has been a revelation this season, fighting for the WorldSSP title, and regardless of the outcome of that battle he knows his future is secure and in WorldSBK with the team keeping faith in the #55.

Montella made his WorldSSP debut in 2021 with a one-off appearance and scored sixth in Race 2 at Portimao, before making a full-time switch in 2022 with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing. He secured one win – at Phillip Island – but it wasn’t enough to keep his seat on the ZX-6R. He found a new home at Barni Ducati in 2023 where he claimed five podiums, showing his potential, before having a breakthrough 2024 campaign.

He started the season with a double win in Australia, before adding two more wins at Portimao and winning Race 2 at Magny-Cours. 10 podiums in 16 races so far means he’s on 275 points, just 14 behind Championship leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). That gap has come down in recent rounds and, with four rounds to go, the #55 finds himself in a strong position to take the title fight down to the wire.

Discussing his move to WorldSBK, Montella said: “For my career, this is a very important moment. Reaching the top of the category was my goal, it was a dream, to be honest. Doing it with a team I’ve worked with for two years and having a teammate like Petrucci makes it even more special. In this situation, I have the opportunity to learn and “steal” many small secrets from the team and my teammate. Compared to WorldSSP, there will be many more variables to manage, but I can’t wait to start competing in WorldSBK. However, I haven’t started thinking about 2025 yet; I’m very focused on finishing this WorldSSP season in the best way possible. After the races in Jerez, I will start considering the new bike.”

Team Manager Marco Barnabo added: “Fielding a second bike in WorldSBK is a very important decision for us; we’ve been working well, and all the conditions were right to take this step: on one hand, Yari has shown over the past two years with us that he deserves the promotion to the higher category, and it was right to continue this journey together. On the other hand, our intention has always been to keep growing. In these years, we’ve always worked hard, and with the second Superbike, we are reaping the rewards of our efforts, thanks also to the support of the sponsors who have decided to stand by our side.”

The team announced their intention to run two bikes in 2025 when Petrucci was confirmed for next season, and that has now become a reality with Montella’s promotion to WorldSBK. The team will have a mix of experience and youth for next season, with Montella having a MotoGP™ race winner to learn from as he progresses throughout his rookie season.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) were both penalised following their Free Practice 2 altercation at the Cremona Circuit. With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visiting for the first time, both were hoping to stake a claim for a strong result but that has been hampered for Race 1 due to both receiving grid drops for the Acerbis Italian Round.

Both Gardner and Petrucci were found to have been riding slowly on the racing line during Friday’s Free Practice 2 session by the FIM Stewards and handed out the same penalty to both: a three-place grid drop on the Race 1 grid. It means Petrucci will start from sixth rather than third, while Gardner will be 19^th instead of 16^th.

Speaking after Friday’s events concluded, both the #87 and the #9 gave their thoughts on the incident and gave their version of events to sum up what happened. The incident happened towards the end of FP2, with Petrucci’s offence occurring on the run down to Turn 2 when Gardner had to take avoiding action and ended up in the gravel. He kept his bike upright and re-joined the session.

Giving his side of the story, Petrucci said: “On the first lap, I found another rider stopping between the penultimate and the last corner so, I had to abort my first lap. I was two tenths faster. I was pushing on my second lap; I was approaching again and was two tenths faster than my best lap. The blue flags were waving for me, but he decided to cross the track when I was coming. That made me really upset. I don’t know if I will speak with him. I have no idea. He has got his own idea. I saw him, looking at me, and I saw the blue flags, so I don’t understand why he decided to cross the track. Let’s focus on Saturday and the first of two race days.”

On his version of events, Gardner said in a media scrum: “I’ve got a penalty as well, which I don’t agree with. I don’t understand how I got the penalty. Three places. the team are appealing it, and they are completely behind me. There is a video of me getting off the line in the last chicane to the left, and he goes through. I’m off the line, out of the way. You can see me getting out of the way because I was looking for a tear off. But they continue to reinstate the penalty of three places, which, like I said, the team are appealing. This was my out lap, and I was just trying to look for some clean air. I started my first lap on a new tyre and arrived at Turn 2, and Petrucci was just kind of sitting up there on the line quite dangerously. And I had nowhere to go except pick up the bike and go into the dirt. And I think I lost another extra flying lap for that. And I got stuck in the dirt. I think it’s incredible that I have the same penalty when I’m actually getting off the line not doing what he’s done, and he’s done something intentional. It would be nice if my girlfriend would pay as much attention to me as Petrucci. I passed him in the Steward’s office, but he wouldn’t speak. Couldn’t look at me. Head down. I was trying to look at him, to have a word with him, to understand what the problem is. But sorry, I’m out there to do my own job, not think about other riders.”

Speaking about his rivalry with Petrucci, and referring to the incident at Most where Petrucci, Bautista and Gardner were involved in a Turn 1 crash, the Australian added: “I cannot even comprehend why Most is even my fault. Like I can’t even comprehend that he’s made these statements because he was behind me. What do you want me to do if I’m in front? It’s a rider thing. I try not to get involved with these silly incidents. The only person I’ve taken out so far is my teammate Domi. And we’re best friends. I’ve known Danilo very well for 20 years. And I think that we are two young guys. Maybe this evening, I’ll try to manage something, to speak each other. I think I’m quite mature about this. I would like to have a word with him just to solve this. The feeling was he didn’t want to speak to me in the Steward’s office, so I don’t know. I don’t have anything against him. I treat all the riders the same. In the end, they’re all competitors. I race fair and square. I try not to put anyone on the ground because I know it’s dangerous and injuries can happen. I think this should be the same mentality from Danilo.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

British rider Ryan Vickers will join the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid in 2025 after signing a contract with Team Motocorsa Racing for next season. The Norfolk-born star is in the top six of the British championship this season onboard a Yamaha R1 but he will switch that for a Ducati Panigale V4 R for 2025. Vickers will replace Michael Ruben Rinaldi who will depart the team after a difficult season which hasn’t yielded the results both team and rider have achieved before.

Vickers made his WorldSBK debut in 2022 at the Autodrom Most onboard a Kawasaki ZX-10RR machine with TPR Team Pedercini Racing, taking a best result of P17 in Race 2. He’ll return to the WorldSBK grid at the season finale at Jerez as a wildcard alongside BSB teammate Kyle Ryde, which will be his last race with the team. It was announced that he would leave OMG Racing UK at the end of the season, with his plans now known.

Vickers made his domestic debut in the STK600 British championship in 2017, finishing eighth in the standings with one victory, before taking a dominant victory in Junior Superstock as he won all but two races. That performance earned him a seat in the British Superbike class onboard Kawasaki machinery, securing top ten finishes and a seat for the following season. A first win came following his switch to Yamaha for 2022 and now has seven wins and 13 podiums in total. The 25-year-old sits sixth in this year’s standings with two events left.

Vickers takes the place of Rinaldi after a difficult year for the #21. Rinaldi is a five-time race winner in WorldSBK and also has 23 rostrums to his name, but he has so far been unable to add to his tally this season. He has a best finish of sixth, in Race 2 at Phillip Island, but has only taken four top-ten finishes in 2024. The team were consistent podium challengers with Axel Bassani in recent seasons, but the Rinaldi-Motocorsa combination hasn’t been able to hit the highs that both parties have done in the past.

A statement from Motocorsa read: “Motocorsa is pleased to announce Ryan Vickers for 2025. The rider, born in 1999, one of the youngest riders to take part in British Superbike, has already achieved 7 wins and 13 podiums in the British championship. Ryan Vickers currently rides with OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing and will soon be working with Motocorsa, which will provide him with a Ducati Panigale V4 R 2025. The entire Motocorsa team hopes that he will be able to return to the results he has already seen in previous superbike seasons, with renewed commitment and enthusiasm Motocorsa thanks and bids farewell to Michael Ruben Rinaldi.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

210 days after his first MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship pole position, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) secured his second in his rookie season. It had looked like Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) would claim a maiden pole but he was denied by a barely-believable lap from the #11 at the Cremona Circuit. It was an all-Italian top three in Tissot Superpole with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) claiming third.

THE FIRST RUNS: Iannone on top with a big margin…

Iannone had topped the morning Free Practice 3 session with the first 1’28s lap of the weekend and he followed that up with a 1’28.263s on his first lap in Tissot Superpole to move into P1, before pitting after setting just one time. He was followed by Bulega and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), although neither could get within half-a-second of ‘The Maniac’ on the first run.

BULEGA FIGHTS BACK: the first 1’27s lap of Cremona

With the crucial second runs underway, Iannone posted a 1’28.068s to take a provisional pole position but Bulega was able to set the first ever 1’27s lap of Cremona to deny Iannone a first pole in 2,960 days. The #11’s 1’27.953s was enough to secure a second pole position in WorldSBK, despite a crash at Turn 2 in the final few minutes which brought out the yellow flags. Iannone had to settle for second, with Petrucci taking third in Superpole. However, ‘Petrux’ has a three-place grid penalty for Race 1 due to slow riding on the racing line, so he will start Race 1 from P6.

BENEFITTING FROM PETRUCCI’S PENALTY: Lowes twins P4 and P6

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) took fourth in Superpole although he’ll be promoted to the Race 1 front row due to Petrucci’s penalty. The #22 had a crash at Turn 13 which ended his session early but claimed P4 on the timesheets. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was fifth in Superpole as he was in a Lowes sandwich, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) taking sixth in the session. With Petrucci’s penalty, Alex Lowes will be P3 on the Race 1 grid with Locatelli fourth and Sam Lowes fifth.

TWO HONDAS IN TOP TEN, RABAT STRONG: looking to spring a surprise

Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) was the lead Honda rider as he took P7 although there wasn’t much to separate him from teammate Iker Lecuona, with the Spanish duo just a tenth apart. Lecuona moved up the order with his final lap to claim a top-eight starting position after he had a Turn 7 spill. Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) took ninth, his best Superpole result since Imola in 2023 and his first top-ten grid start of the season. Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) rounded out the top ten with a 1’28.291s, almost a second behind Bulega’s lap time.

ACTION-PACKED SESSION: crashes up and down the field

It was a dramatic session with several crashes. Alessandro Delbianco (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) came down at Turn 2, followed shortly by Niccolo Canepa (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) at Turn 8. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will line up from 13^th place, making it the first time he’s taken back-to-back Superpole results out of the top ten while racing for Ducati. Elsewhere, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 16^th in Superpole but he will start from P19 after he was penalised with a three-place grid penalty for slow riding on the racing line in FP2. 

The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here.

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’27.953s

2. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +0.115s

3. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.332s

4. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.357s

5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.649s

6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.662s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Saturday morning action at the Cremona Circuit kicked off and the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship remains unpredictable heading into the Tissot Superpole session. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) claimed top spot as he set the first 1’28s lap of the Acerbis Italian Round, beating Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) by almost three tenths of a second.

There was a flurry of fast laps in the second half of the 20-minute Free Practice 3 session, but ‘The Maniac’ left it late to set his 1’28.779s to move into top spot. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) claimed second place after lapping 0.291s slower than the #29 but claimed top BMW honours on Saturday morning. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) had briefly gone to the top of the standings but was demoted to third, eventually claiming P3 with a 1’29.100s.

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) finished half-a-second off the pace as he continued to adjust to the newly homologated R1 complete with wings, with ‘Loka’ finishing ahead of two Ducati riders. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with teammate Nicolo Bulega, looking to gain more points on the absent Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), was sixth. Just 0.020s separated the two Ducati stars.

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished in seventh place with a 1’29.383s with the Brit less than a tenth clear of Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in eighth place. After their on-track coming together in FP2 yesterday – for which both received a three-place grid drop for slow riding on the racing line – Petrucci and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) couldn’t be separated on the timesheets, with the #87 finishing in ninth and a tenth away from ‘Petrux’. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) completed a strong start to Saturday with Honda as he rounded out the top ten.

The top six from WorldSBK FP3, full results here:

1. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) 1’28.779s

2. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.291s

3. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +0.321s

4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.455s

5. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.476s

6. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.496s

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Source: WorldSBK.com