Get ready for World Superbike 2025: riders, calendar and key facts!
The 2025 Superbike World Championship is closer than ever: the big show will start on Phillip Island on the weekend of 21 to 23 of February. A classic spot opening for a 2025 WorldSBK season that promises action and tough fights.
If last year was all about surprises, with Toprak and BMW stronger than expected and Bulega spectacular debut season, the 2025 Superbike panorama looks incredible tight on paper, with some riders consolidating and a few novelties.
Let’s look at the 2025 World Superbike rider line-up, the calendar and the main changes!
2025 WorldSBK: 12 Rounds, less tyres and new fuel flow restriction rule
The 2025 Superbike calendar will keep the 12-Round format with the three races per weekend schedule (Race 1, Superpole Race, Race 2) for a total of a whopping 36 races in total. There’s one new track on the calendar, Balaton Park in Hungary, that has never been raced before in WorldSBK. Some other Rounds have changed in its dates, like Portimao moving to March and Most and Cremona to May for a more balanced calendar than previous seasons.
The biggest news comes in the technical rulebook. The main one is the abandonment of the RPM limit system and the embracement of a new fuel flow regulation to achieve parity and close performance between manufacturers. Now all bikes will have free RPM limit, but there will be a limit in the quantity of fuel mixture flowing into the engine; thus, affecting the level of horsepower one engine can achieve. At the start of the season, all six WorldSBK manufacturers (bimota, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha) will start with the same fuel flow ratio, but depending on results, the most successful can see their fuel flow ratio reduced from their competence.
Another important addition is the reduction of available Pirelli tyres to all riders. For 2025 WorldSBK has been reduced to 10 different front tyres and 11 rear tyres available per weekend. Having no changes in the overall weekend schedule format, riders will have to be more intelligent in their selection and conservation of tyres during the whole Round.
ROKiT BMW Motorrad: Toprak Razgatlioglu #1 & Michael Van der Mark #60
Having achieved last year what many people thought as impossible, BMW and Toprak will start the year with the number 1 plate, and what is more important, as the rivals to beat for the rest of the grid. A different position from the last year ‘unexpected contender’ that will bring more pressure to the duo… but we know that the Turkish rider is able to manage this situation well.
Alongside him, Van der Mark repeats as teammate. He and Toprak will have a new updated and homologated version of the M1000RR that BMW has debuted on the market this year. The novelties are mainly aerodynamics, engine and electronics. The real headache for the Bavarian brand, thou, will be the chassis: last year they took advantage of the ‘super concessions’ and used a modified chassis. For this year, these concessions are gone and seem they must revert to their previous chassis, at least for some races. Nevertheless, nobody can discard them for the fight of the title; it will only make it more complicated to them!
Aruba.it Racing Ducati: Nicolò Bulega #11 & Álvaro Bautista #19
The red squad repeats line-up with Bulega and Bautista, who finished 2nd and 3rd in the riders’ championship last season. This helped Ducati to win the Manufacturers title, but this isn’t enough for their official team. The Panigale V4R has been updated, and the elimination of the rpm limit rule can be beneficial for them.
Bulega was last year’s revelation. This time, the pressure is different, as he start as the main title challenger to Toprak and, theoretically, as ‘number one’ rider in the Aruba.it Ducati team. But Bautista probably has a different opinion: the Spanish rider has been quoted on “having the best feeling on the bike since a year”. Surely if he regains confidence in the Panigale, he can add a third WorldSBK title in his pocket.
bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team: Alex Lowes #22 & Axel Bassani #47
A key player in the last years, the Kawasaki Racing Team, has been reconverted to a new team with the incorporation of bimota. The Italian small manufacturer and the whole Kawasaki corporation have started a new collaboration racing project that is new fresh air into the WorldSBK paddock. This renewed team has added a new player to the machinery of the grid: the bimota KB998 Rimini, meaning that WorldSBK has now 6 different manufacturers on track and also good news for any fans as means the return of a historical brand like bimota.
This new bike is a combination of bimota chassis and other elements with Kawasaki’s engine and electronics from the ZX-10RR. As happens when a new player comes in, there are many questions regarding the competitiveness of the outfit, but as for winter testing goes, it seems that the team starts at least from the same level as their previous machinery. A good point for them is that both Lowes and Bassani stays in the team, providing a stable base to develop the bike.
Pata Yamaha Maxus: Andrea Locatelli #55 & Jonathan Rea #65
The Pata Yamaha team will repeat duo of riders for this WorldSBK 2025 season. Last year was the worst ever for Jonathan Rea. Nearly a nightmare of season that ended with a renewal of the internal personnel in its side of the box; with a new crew chief on his side (from its glorious KRT years), Rea expects to make a great step forward. But his rivals are difficult, and he has a tough one as teammate.
Locatelli signed a solid 2024 season compared to all other Yamaha riders and compromised Rea’s theoretical ‘num.1 rider’ position in the blue squad. In any case, both riders will take advantage of the new Yamaha YZF-R1 that already debuted on last year Round at Jerez, with a very much improved aerodynamics.
Ducati’s satellite armada: Danilo Petrucci #9, Andrea Ianonne #29, Scott Redding #45, Sam Lowes #14, Yari Montella #5
One of the biggest assets of Ducati is his formidable net of satellite teams. Riders of the first order, under different teams and ambitions but that can help Ducati to get more podium in the 2025 WorldSBK season. Probably the strongest name is Danilo Petrucci in the Barni Spark Racing Team; the Italian rider was the only independent WorldSBK rider able to achieve wins last year. For this season he will have the rookie Yari Montella, 2024 World Supersport runner-up, as a teammate.
Obviously, Andrea Ianonne is also in the list of strongest Independent riders and after a debut season in 2024 with four podiums, this year can be more dangerous to his rivals. Returning to a Ducati branded machine is Scott Reading. In fact, it is not only him, but the whole MGM Bonovo Racing that switches to the Borgo Panigale legion. The British will try to bring back the good sensation he had racing with the Aruba Ducati team back in 2020. Another brit, Sam Lowes, will make his second WorldSBK season repeating in the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team. Lowes was fast in his rookie season in some moments, but also inconsistent and prone to crashes in some others. 2025 WorldSBK will be a good opportunity to show his pace being more familiar with his bike and team.
Kawasaki WorldSBK Team: Garrett Gerloff #31
The green manufacturer stays in WorldSBK thanks to the upgrading of the satellite Puccetti Racing team to a new branded ‘Kawasaki WorldSBK Team’, benefiting from the official Ninja ZX-10RR machinery and some key technical personnel from KRT. Also a novelty is the arrival of the Texan rider Garrett Gerloff, who has stated feeling quite comfortable with his new outfit. Kawasaki fans will have a double reason to watch WorldSBK with this team along the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team.
Team HRC Honda: Iker Lecuona #7 & Xavi Vierge #97
One more season for Honda, one more season for Lecuona and Vierge on the HRC team. The Spanish duo started 2024 with some troubles, but at the end of the year both riders were achieving the best results in a long time and the team enjoying the fruits of the rulebook concessions. The squad is wishing to carry on with the momentum and the powerful engine of the CBR1000RR-R SP may benefit from the elimination of rpm limit rule.
GYRT GRT Yamaha: Dominique Aegerter #77 & Remy Gardner #87
Yamaha’s satellite team has opted to keep its riders for 2025, as the official team has done. Gardner had his best WorldSBK season so far last year, achieving his first ever podium in the class at Assen. Aegerter had the misfortune of losing some Round due to injury. But the good news for them is that the duo will debut with the new Yamaha YZF-R1 for 2025, an opportunity that only the official team had last year.
The answer to all these questions will start on Phillip Island on 22-23 February and end at Jerez on 18-19 October. And WorldSBK Store will be in all Rounds – and online – with the best merchandise of all your favourite riders and team. See you at the track!