Battle at the Cathedral of Speed: Bulega Leads, Bautista Hunts

Nicolò Bulega defends his WorldSBK lead as Alvaro Bautista targets the podium at Assen’s legendary Cathedral of Speed. Get the full weekend preview here.

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The 2025 WorldSBK season is heating up — and this weekend, it rolls into one of the most legendary battlegrounds in motorsport history: TT Circuit Assen, the “Cathedral of Speed.”

Nicolò Bulega arrives in the Netherlands with a target on his back. After a blistering start to the season, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider sits comfortably at the top of the standings with 111 points, 29 clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu and his BMW. But Assen has a way of turning everything upside down, especially when the weather plays games — and it usually does.

Bulega isn’t just showing up to defend. He’s ready to attack.

“I’m happy to race at Assen on a circuit I have always liked,” Bulega said. “The weather looks better than last year, which could help. We’re coming off a strong weekend at Portimao and want to keep the momentum.”

Across the garage, Alvaro Bautista has his own mission. The reigning champion (twice over) finds himself in fourth place, trailing Danilo Petrucci by just a single point. Catching Petrucci would push Bautista back into the top three — exactly where a rider of his caliber belongs.

But Bautista isn’t rushing it. “Assen is very different from Portimao, so we’ll have to work smart from the first free practice,” he said. “Plus, with new tyres from Pirelli in play, we’ll need to make the right calls. The goal is simple: get to the grid in the best shape possible — and then we fight.”

The weekend’s action kicks off Friday with free practice at 10:20 a.m. (CEST). Saturday features Superpole at 11:00 a.m., setting the grid for Race 1 at 2:00 p.m. Sunday brings the sprint Superpole Race and the second full-distance showdown.

With Ducati’s young star looking to stretch his advantage and a hungry Bautista ready to scrap for glory, Assen might just deliver the most dramatic chapter of the season yet.