Nicolo Brega’s problem for the 2025 World SBK title got here as no shock to Toprak Razgatlioglu, says the three-time world champion.
The race for the title between Razgatlioglu and Brega went all the best way to the ultimate race of the season for the primary time since 2014, and each drivers received all the 36 races held in 2025, except for Assen Race 2, which was received by Andrea Locatelli.
After Razgatlioglu’s absolute dominance in 2024, the place he received regardless of lacking six races, 2025 was a really powerful season with Brega because the definitive challenger, and in some methods it was much like the 2021 season, the place Razgatlioglu received after a season-long battle with Jonathan Rea.
It is arduous to say whether or not Brega actually pushed Razgatlioglu in 2025 greater than Jonathan Rea in 2021. The 13-point distinction between Brega and Razgatrioglu this 12 months is similar because the one which separated Razgatrioglu and Rea 4 years in the past, however the seasons that led to that distinction had been very totally different.
Whereas Rea and Razgatlioglu usually went bar-to-bar on observe in 2021, Razgatlioglu and Brega really fought one another in shut quarters solely in three races in 2025 at Portimao, Aragón and Jerez. After all, certainly one of them did not final very lengthy.
Whereas it is true that Razgatlioglu and Brega collectively dominated the 2025 season, it is also true that one tended to dominate the opposite on any given weekend. Brega was a lot stronger at Phillip Island, Assen, Cremona and Jerez. Misano, Donington, Most (largely), Balaton, Magny-Cours, and (additionally largely) Estoril favored Razgatrioglu.
In whole, Razgatlioglu and Brega completed within the high two 27 of 36 races. They’re the one riders who can virtually stand on the identical degree because the others and that is what actually stands out from 2021, when a number of riders similar to Scott Redding, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Tom Sykes and Michael van der Mark burst into the battle of Razgatlioglu vs. Rea.
The 2025 World Superbike season can thus be seen because the season by which Brega rose to the problem of the BMW rider, after Razgatlioglu regarded virtually invincible for a lot of 2024.
This is the reason Razgatlioglu stands out because the Italian inheritor to the throne within the by-product collection, however the Italian’s rise in 2025 didn’t shock the Turkish star.
“I feel Brega was very robust each race weekend,” Toprak Razgatrioglu advised WorldSBK.com.
“It appears like he is the following world champion.
“Final 12 months (2024) we did not battle him that a lot, however this 12 months we’re combating him each race weekend. He has improved so much and Ducati has improved so much.”
“Final season was his first rookie season so we had excessive expectations, and he did an awesome job. We anticipated him to be even stronger this 12 months.
“He began very effectively. Effectively, Assen wasn’t a superb weekend for him, however after Assen he was all the time within the lead.
“We had an excellent race collectively this 12 months, particularly in Portimao, and Aragon was additionally very particular. I used to be competing with him.”
