Ducati Sporting Club UK > News Items > Ducati Press Releases > Bulega takes the runner-up slot in Race 1 of the French Round at Magny-Cours. Bautista is involved in an incident at the first curve and finishes 16th

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World Superbike | 2025 | R9 | Magny-Cours (France) | Saturday 6 September 2025

Bulega takes the runner-up slot in Race 1 of the French Round at Magny-Cours. Bautista is involved in an incident at the first curve and finishes sixteenth after a long pit stop.

Nicolò Bulega finished second on Saturday at the French Round, the ninth event of the 2025 WorldSBK season. On the other hand, Álvaro Bautista was once again unlucky, practically eliminated from the race at the first corner.

Bulega was unable to capitalise on his second position on the grid and found himself forced to battle with the Lowes brothers in the first five laps before he could set off in pursuit of Razgatlioglu. The Italian rider's race pace was not enough to close the gap.

Bautista did not have a good qualifying session and was forced to start from fourteenth position. At the first corner, he was involved in an accident with three other riders and, after the crash, he was forced to return to the pits to fix his bike. The team allowed Bautista to return to the track, and the Spanish rider reached the chequered flag (P16), intending to collect essential data ahead of tomorrow's two races.

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11)
"We struggled in some parts of the circuit, perhaps more than yesterday. I wasn't particularly incisive on the first lap and lost some positions, but I want to point out that I wouldn't have been able to stay close to Toprak even if I had been second at the first corner. We are working hard, but things have clearly changed since Most".

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“I think at the end of this season I'll have to buy a Christmas lottery ticket. I managed to avoid an accident at the first corner, but immediately after that, I was hit by Vierge and my race was over. I have to say that, at least, it was important to get back on track to try a solution that we could use tomorrow.”