WSBK Weekend Takeover: Wrap-up

RST’s factory-supported squad featured Alex Lowes aboard the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, while the F900 R Cup spotlighted guest entries from Storm Stacey (Bathams). There was also action in the Womens WCR.

The 2025 season has so far been a two-horse race between Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (Rokit BMW). The pair headed into the donington round separated by just 9 points in the championship - and given Toprak's past success at the circuit, we expected that to decrease over the weekend.

Elsewhere, the other 2 from the titanic trio (Toprak, Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista) - Rea and Bautista are having tougher seasons, Rea in year 2 of his stint with Pata Yamaha; still struggling to get to grips with the R1. While Alvaro hasn't been competing at the front since the weight restrictions were introduced in 2024.

For RST - Alex Lowes always goes well at his home round and was aiming to be in podium contention. This was especially the case after Alex managed to top the timing charts on Friday.

Saturday

Practice & Qualifying
– In FP1, Alex Lowes topped the timesheets (1:26.544) ahead of Bulega and Razgatlıoğlu.
– In WSBK superpole, Alex clinched P3 for Bimota—its best WSBK qualifying since the comeback—slotting in behind Razgatlıoğlu and Bulega.

WSBK Race 1
– From P3 on the grid, Alex charged into the lead at lights out, but a crash early in the race forced him to retire with a foot injury .
– The podium – Razgatlıoğlu on top, Bulega P2 and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Ducati) P3 – mirrored the pre-race form.

F900 R Cup Heats
– Heat 1 saw Ryde victorious, with Storm Stacey close behind.
– Heat 2 went to Storm Stacey, who edged out Coates on the final lap. Both qualified for Sunday’s Main.

Sunday

Superpole Race
– Toprak secured the Tissot Superpole sprint win, followed by Bulega and Sam Lowes (Marc VDS Ducati).
– Notably, home rider Alex Lowes remained sidelined due to his injury.

WSBK Race 2
– Razgatlıoğlu completed a clean weekend hat-trick, taking a convincing victory and moving 4 points clear of Bulega (345 vs 341).
– Bulega, ever the trooper, finished P2 again; Bautista rounded out the podium in P3.
– Rea, despite strong pace, slipped back to P15, hampered by tyre degradation and race incidents.

F900 R Cup Main
– Kyle Ryde raced home to victory in a dramatic showdown with Storm Stacey and RST’s Barry Burrows, who claimed P3.
– Storm’s pre-event pledge to donate any winnings added extra story to his runner-up finish .

Women’s WCR
– RST’s Chloe Jones celebrated a strong weekend, clinching P3 on Saturday in a hard-fought contest.

Weekend summary

• Toprak Razgatlıoğlu stamped his authority with a dominant hat-trick at Donington—clearly the man to beat.

• Nicolo Bulega, though displaced in the points lead, continues to press hard with consistent podium results.

• Alex Lowes, in his first season on Bimota, shone in qualifying and early in Race 1 before injury ended his weekend—still, promising signs for future rounds.

• Jonathan Rea remains a factor but struggled with late-race pace and ranked outside top 10 across the weekend.

• F900 R Cup delivered drama as expected: Kyle Ryde’s win, Storm Stacey’s charity pledge and showing of pace, and RST’s Barry Burrows’ podium underlined the depth of talent.

• Chloe Jones added colour to RST’s weekend with her P3 in the Women’s WCR series.

What’s next?

The championship now heads into its next chapter in Hungary, with Razgatlıoğlu holding a four-point advantage over Bulega. Bimota’s resurgence via Alex Lowes will be one to watch.

#TeamRST