Nicolo Bulega put in one of his most dominant performances of the 2026 World Superbikes season to extend his winning run into the second half of the season as Iker Lecuona and Yari Montella took assured podium finishes of their own.
Race 1
Having taken pole with a lap record, Bulega lost the lead to teammate Lecuona for half a lap but soon reasserted himself in what turned out to be an uneventful World Superbikes race.Lecuona – fresh from a stunning MotoGP wildcard last weekend – had to settle for a distant second as the top brass from Ducati watched on from the paddock.
Starting in third, Alex Lowes dropped behind Montella and Lorenzo Baldassari at the start.He then came under pressure from his teammate Axel Bassani who eventually got past, with the two doing battle on track just after signing new contracts with Bimota for 2027.
The Bimota duo ended up fighting for fourth after Baldassari crashed out for the third race in a row at turn five.Sam Lowes slid out at the same corner shortly afterwards.
Alberto Surra came home sixth ahead of top Yamaha finisher Andrea Locatelli, the returning Miguel Oliveria and a charging Alvaro Bautista.Oliveria’s temporary teammate Michael van der Mark crashed out with three laps to go, as did Remy Gardner.
Race 1 Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Tissot Superpole Race
Bulega successfully held the lead at the start unlike yesterday.Locatelli made the best start getting up into seventh while Lecuona, Montella and Alex Lowes ran in formation between second and fourth.
Sam Lowes crashed out again early on before Bridewell lost his bike at the start of lap three and thankfully no one else collected it.Alex Lowes’ bike broke down on lap five just as Surra passed Bassani for the inherited fourth place and then Vierge crashed out too.
Locatelli had fallen to eighth and enjoyed a great all-Italian battle with Baldassari mid-race.Surra went wide in the closing stages and very nearly lost out to Oliveria while Tarran Mackenzie did well to round out the top nine for the grid spots in the afternoon race.
Tissot Superpole Race Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Race 2
Lecuona edged in front through the first chicane as Axel Bassani leapt up into third while Montella went backwards. Just like yesterday’s race however, Bulega punished his teammate later on the first lap and rode off into the distance.
Stefano Manzi ran into the back of Bautista while Mackenzie put a stunning move on Locatelli for sixth. Montella eventually recovered into fourth but struggled to oust his compatriot Bassani from third before the latter crashed out at turn eight with just five laps to go and a podium in sight.
That left Montella free to take his third straight podium finsih ahead of Alex Lowes, an impressive Mackenzie, Surra, Locatelli and Gardner with one of his best results of a torrid 2026 season in eighth having started 13th.
Michael van der Mark did well to repel Sam Lowes who started at the back following his crash in Superpole for ninth and the two were practically side-by-side across the finish line. Up front, it was another record-extending victory for Bulega and will surely now only be a matter of time until he wins this year’s title and earns his much anticipated MotoGP move.
Before the lights had even gone out in Hungary, the Moto3 paddock had already been thrown into drama. On Friday, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), who had been running third in the Championship, was disqualified from the first six Grands Prix of the season after engine seal irregularities, reshuffling the standings before the weekend began. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was also removed from the Catalunya results after his oil failed post-race checks due to assembly fluid being present. Add in David Almansa’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) return from illness, having missed Mugello despite originally taking pole, and Hungary arrived with no shortage of storylines before lights went out in the Grand Prix.
Once attention turned to qualifying, it was Almansa who delivered the perfect response to his recent setback. A week after withdrawing from the Italian GP through illness, where he had been due to start from pole, the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP rider returned to the top with a 1’45.686 at Balaton Park. In hospital on Wednesday and putting it on the front row on Saturday, these guys really are built different. Almansa and Championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) were in a class of their own throughout qualifying, pulling more than half a second clear of the chasing pack and separated by just six hundredths. Uriarte came through Q1 and made it count to complete the front row for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
When the race finally got underway, Almansa launched perfectly from pole and grabbed the holeshot ahead of Quiles, immediately recreating the early-season duel that had shaped the opening rounds. Behind them, however, chaos arrived almost instantly.
At Turn 2, Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) crashed after contact with Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP – MTA), with Joel Esteban (LEVEL UP – MTA) also caught up in the incident. More drama followed at Turn 5 when Ruche Moodley (CODE Motorsports) collided with Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI). Moodley’s race was over before the first lap was complete, while Danish was able to rejoin after a trip through the pits, only to later receive the black-and-orange flag.
Credit: Pirelli Press Office
Once the first laps were completed, Almansa and Quiles began to edge away at the front, while Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3) slotted into third and fourth. Salmela soon moved into the final podium position at Turn 5 on Lap 4 and set off in pursuit of the leading duo. Behind the front four, the recovery rides were already in motion. Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Muñoz, both starting from the sixth row, were carving their way through the pack and had quickly placed themselves back into contention. By Lap 7, the change for the lead arrived as Quiles made his move on Almansa at Turn 9.
Into the second half of the race, the battle for victory became increasingly settled. Quiles continued to edge away setting the fastest lap, while Almansa held a comfortable advantage over the pack behind. The real fight was for the final podium spot, where Carpe, Muñoz, Perrone, Salmela and Uriarte all became locked together. Carpe’s ride from 18th on the grid was one of the performances of the race. After starting deep in the pack, the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider forced his way into the podium battle and eventually moved into third. With five laps remaining, Quiles had stretched his lead over Almansa to more than a second, while the scrap behind them only grew more intense.
By the final lap, Uriarte had moved ahead of his teammate into fourth and was chasing Muñoz. Then came a frightening end to the race. Contact between Carpe and Muñoz on the exit of Turn 11 triggered a multiple-rider incident involving Muñoz, Perrone and Uriarte. Muñoz crashed directly in front of Perrone and Uriarte, with both riders unable to avoid contact, both running over the Spaniard. The red flag was shown just half a lap from full distance.
Credit: Rob Gray (Polarity Photo)
With the race result declared, Quiles returned to the top step of the podium and extended his Championship advantage with a composed victory at Balaton Park. It was his second consecutive Moto3 win in Hungary, but unlike some of his recent triumphs, this one came without a last-lap battle. Almansa finished second, marking his first podium since his Buriram victory and a strong comeback after the disappointment of missing Mugello. Carpe completed the podium after a superb charge from the sixth row, keeping his bike upright despite the late incident.
Uriarte was classified fourth, ahead of Salmela, who secured a career-best fifth place. The result was also Finland’s best Moto3 finish since Niklas Ajo’s fifth place at Mugello in 2014. Adrian Cruces (CIP Green Power) delivered an excellent ride to sixth, converting his career-best qualifying into a career-best race result.
Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) came home seventh, with Jesus Rios (Rivacold Snipers Team) finishing eighth as the top Honda rider. Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse) claimed ninth, while Fernandez rounded out the top ten after a turbulent week for both rider and team. Just outside the top ten, Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) took 11th ahead of Joel Kelso (GRYD Racing), Esteban, Cormac Buchanan (CODE Motorsports) and Bertelle, who completed the points-paying positions.
David Muñoz was taken to a local hospital for full checks, with his team later confirming on social media that he had sustained fractures to his pelvis and was undergoing surgery on Sunday evening. Hopefully he will have a speedy recovery and be back in the paddock later in the season.
Charles Rainford took his second win of the season with a win in race three at Oulton Park. He held off Hyundai pair Ricky Collard and Tom Ingram to consolidate third in the championship standings.
Rainford made an excellent start from third on the grid to pass Osborne and go second into Cascades. The Safety Car was deployed when Aron Taylor-Smith and Adam Morgan collided. The Toyota left turn one sideways and collected Morgan’s Mercedes, summing up the latter’s atrocious weekend. Nicholas Hamilton impressively avoided the sliding Morgan.
On the restart, Rainford showed pace in his BMW as he took the lead of the race passing Smiley around the outside at Cascades. Ricky Collard passed Smiley for second at Lodge.
Smiley’s descent down the grid continued with both Ingram and Cammish moving past him at Lodge before the second Safety Car intervention on lap nine. Tom Chilton was trying to stay out the way of Lewis Selby’s Ford, but the pair collided going into Cascades and ended up beached in the gravel.
On the second restart on lap 13, Rainford pulled away from Collard in second. Ingram held his own in third as Cammish was being hounded by Josh Cook. The Toyota man started 15th and was impressively fighting for fourth.
Rainford held on for the win, with Collard second and Ingram third, cutting Ash Sutton’s championship lead down to 48 points. Cammish was fourth with Cook fifth. Dan Rowbottom and Chris Smiley had a titanic battle but the Plato Mercedes of Rowbottom prevailed.
Dexter Patterson, Sutton and Aidan Moffat rounded out the top ten. Mikey Doble was 11th with Nicholas Hamilton finishing an impressive 12th. The final points places went to Sam Osborne, James Dorlin and Daryl De Leon.
Ash Sutton dominated race two at Oulton Park to take his fifth win of the season. He won at a canter, taking the lead on lap three and strolling to a win by 19 ahead of second placed title rival Tom Ingram.
On the start Sutton surged from seventh to fifth, dispatching of the PMR pair of Mike Doble and Aiden Moffat. Josh Cook slipped down the order over the course of the race from second on the grid, with Ingram and Aron Taylor-Smith passing the Toyota man. Sutton then passed him at the end of lap one.
Taylor-Smith was Sutton’s next target, and he made it easy for the championship leader as he went wide at the Island hairpin to take third. Ingram was next in his hit list for second place and he wasted little time.
The Ford man passed Ingram into Cascades with an excellently crafted move. He got the better exit out of turn one and the run on Ingram gave him the best line for second place.
Sutton’s team mate Dan Cammish duly moved aside for Sutton to pass into the final corner at Lodge.
There was a hairy moment for Tom Chilton as he was fighting Taylor-Smith for fourth. Going into the high speed Cascades Chilton got onto the grass and slid at speed across the circuit. Thankfully the veteran missed the barriers and managed to continue.
Ingram, now seeing title rival Sutton pulling away, was keen to pass Cammish, but the Ford man was doing an incredible job defending for his team mate.
Taylor-Smith was fighting for his life to hold onto fourth. He had Daryl De Leon, Doble, and team mate Gordon Shedden on his tail as he made the Corolla as wide as he could.
On lap 11 De Leon passed Taylor-Smith for fourth as Shedden also made his way past. At the front Ingram finally made it past Cammish on lap 13 into Lodge but Sutton was long gone, 13 seconds down the road.
Sutton strolled to the win, largely unfazed despite rain starting to fall in the last two laps. Ingram finished second with Cammish third.
De Leon came home fourth with Doble and Shedden close behind. Taylor-Smith finished seventh despite some excellent defensive driving. Ricky Collard, Dexter Patterson and Charles Rainford rounded off the top ten.
Sam Osborne, Chris Smiley, Dan Rowbottom, James Dorlin and Lewis Shelby rounded off the points.
Dan Cammish led from lights to flag to secure the win in race one at Oulton Park. Often the understudy to team mate Ash Sutton, Cammish took the win holding off Josh Cook and title protagonist Tom Ingram.
A first lap scuffle between Josh Cook and championship leader Sutton saw the Ford man slip down the order but recovered for seventh. Ingram finished third to eat into Sutton’s title lead.
Cammish led off the line with Sutton making an excellent start in his Focus. He passed Cook for second at turn one but on the run down into Cascades, Cook squeezed down the inside of Sutton clipped the left rear of Sutton, sending him into a half-spin. He fell to ninth but was back up to sixth by the end of lap one having dispatched the PMR Audi trio.
The Safety Car made a brief appearance on lap three as Lewis Selby was squeezed wide down the back straight trying to pass Dexter Patterson in his PMR Audi, sending debris all over the circuit.
On the restart on lap five, Cammish maintained his lead with Cook and Ingram in tow behind him. The gap between the three ebbed and flowed throughout the race. Sutton, still reeling from his lap one clash, was trying to fight his way back through the field. At the Hislop chicane he tried to pass Adam Morgan but the Plato Racing driver held the inside line putting Sutton across the grass.
Morgan would however retire from the race on lap nine as an engine sensor issue saw his Mercedes lose power. This gifted Sutton a place as he sat seventh, under intense pressure from the Hyundai’s of Chris Smiley and Tom Chilton.
Cammish held on, with the top three pulling away from Aron Taylor-Smith in fourth. Cook had glances at the lead but Cammish held firm. Ingram, focused on taking points, held on to third. The top three would start race two on the slower hard tyre. With this in mind, Taylor-Smith held back for fourth putting him in the best spot for race two.
Power Maxed duo Aiden Moffat and Mike Doyle were fifth and sixth, the latter showing some excellent defensive driving to hold off Sutton, who could only manage seventh. Chilton and Smiley followed with Daryl De Leon finishing tenth.
The points were rounded off by Dexter Patterson, Gordon Shedden, Sam Osborne, Ricky Collard and Charles Rainford.
Sutton would be in a good position for race two, with more boost allocated and cars ahead on the hard tyre, he will be looking to fight in race two.
Dan Cammish inherited the Race to Pole victory at Oulton Park due to polesitter Aron Taylor-Smith being penalised mid-race.
The NAPA Ford driver started the race second behind Taylor-Smith, who secured pole in qualifying. Cammish kept the Irishman honest up front, and following a Safety Car period, Taylor-Smith weaved on the lead up to the restart, which is not allowed. He was handed a five second penalty and fell to fifth at the chequered flag.
Cammish, often the understudy to team mate Ash Sutton, gratefully inherited the win, with Sutton banking key points to extend his championship lead.
At the start Josh Cook made an excellent leap off the grid to be third, passing Mikey Doble to be third. Tom Chilton was in the wars, spinning off on the run to the island hairpin, he recovered to finish 12th.
Gordon Shedden and Dan Rowbottom collided at the Hislop chicane, effectively retiring Shedden and Rowbottom languished around the back of the pack.
Lap two saw the Safety Car come out as Nicholas Hamilton crashed on the way down to the Island hairpin, ending his race in the wall.
After a three lap intermission, battle resumed, once the Safety Car’s lights went out and peeled away, Taylor-Smith up front started weaving, which is often used as a method of distraction to make sure the driver behind can’t tell when you’re going to apply the throttle and restart the race. The stewards handed the Toyota driver a five second penalty, the second time in four Race to Poles that the leader wouldn’t win the race following Tom Ingram’s penalty at Donington Park.
On the restart Sutton squeezed round outside of Doble for fourth, with title rival Ingram soon following suit.
Lap eight saw a small flashpoint between Sutton and Ingram. Heading into the final corner, Ingram pushed into the back of Sutton and sent him wide. Thankfully the championship leader kept it on track and Ingram, perhaps fearing a hefty penalty, allowed Sutton back through.
There was a heart-in-mouth moment for Sam Osborne in the third Ford Focus Saloon as he got onto the grass at Cascades, bouncing and drifting across the grass and thankfully avoiding any other drivers.
Taylor-Smith was doing all he could to bridge the gap knowing he had five seconds to find. He couldn’t as Cammish inherited the win, with Josh Cook second, Sutton third and Ingram fourth with Taylor-Smith demoted to fifth.
PMR’s Mikey Doble and Dexter Patterson sandwiched Plato Racing’s Adam Morgan for sixth and eighth with Aiden Moffat in the third PMR Audi ninth and Chris Smiley rounding out the top ten in his Hyundai.
Pos
Name
Team
Car
1
Dan CAMMISH
NAPA Racing
Ford Focus Saloon
2
Josh COOK
Speedworks Corolla Racing
Toyota Corolla
3
Ash SUTTON
NAPA Racing
Ford Focus Saloon
4
Tom INGRAM
Team Vertu
Hyundai i30N
5*
Aron TAYLOR-SMITH
Laser Tools Racing
Toyota Corolla
6
Mikey DOBLE
Power Maxed Racing
Audi S3 Saloon
7
Adam MORGAN
Cataclean Plato Racing
Mercedes A35 AMG
8
Dexter PATTERSON
Power Maxed Racing
Audi S3 Saloon
9
Aiden MOFFAT
Power Maxed Racing
Audi S3 Saloon
10
Chris SMILEY
Restart Racing
Hyundai i30N
11
James DORLIN
Restart Racing
Hyundai i30N
12
Tom CHILTON
Team Vertu
Hyundai i30N
13
Ricky COLLARD
Team Vertu
Hyundai i30N
14
Charles RAINFORD
WSR
BMW 330i M Sport
15
Lewis SELBY
NAPA Racing
Ford Focus Saloon
16
Daryl DELEON
WSR
BMW 330i M Sport
17
Dan ROWBOTTOM
Cataclean Plato Racing
Mercedes A35 AMG
9
Sam OSBORNE
NAPA Racing
Ford Focus Saloon
DNF
Gordon SHEDDEN
Laser Tools Racing
Toyota Corolla
DNF
Nicholas HAMILTON
Team VERTU
Hyundai i30N
* Aron Taylor-Smith handed five second penalty, finished first but demoted to fifth.
Elfyn Evans extended his lead in the World Rally Championship standings with victory at the Forum8 Rally Japan.
In an event dominated by Toyota in their homeland, the Welshman took the lead on stage two and never looked back. He showed great consistency and skill to take his his third Rally Japan win , the 13th of his career, and on the final tarmac event of the Rally1 era.
Held on tarmac over the course of 20 stages, Rally Japan is set on tight and twisty asphalt roads lined by trees; there’s little room for error.
It was reigning champion Seb Ogier who was fastest on the pre-event shakedown, with Toyota laying down the marker from the start.
Home hero Takamoto Katsuta couldn’t have had a worse start to the rally. A puncture on Special Stage One before he slid off on SS3, losing him 43 seconds and with it, a chance of victory.
Hyundai, fresh off victory in the previous round in Portugal with Thierry Neuville, struggled throughout the event, with Neuville, Hayden Paddon and Adrien Fourmaux all suffering with understeer on day one. The hard tyres once the rain cleared just weren’t giving Neuville the grip he needed.
Evans ended Day One with a 15 second lead over Oliver Solberg with Ogier third. Neuville sat fourth after a difficult opening day.
Solberg came out firing on Day Two, he went fastest on SS7, the first run through Obara before Evans fought back taking victory on SS8. Solberg responded once again with another stage win on SS9, another run through Obara. However that would be the end of Solberg’s involvement on Saturday. He was fighting too hard when he lost the back end on a left hand turn and clipped a tree on the outside, ruining his rear right wheel.
Sami Pajari was having a quiet rally, fifth at the end of Day One, he found pace to win SS11 and stake his claim for a podium spot now Solberg was out.
Hyundai and Ford couldn’t get near the Toyota drivers all weekend, with neither team managing to secure a stage win.
On the Fujoka Special Stage, Evans had his only slip up the whole rally. He took a left hand bend too quickly and almost understeered into a barrier. The Welshman got away with it with an incredible near miss.
He held a 17 second lead over Ogier by the end of Day Two.
Hyundai were settled in fifth, sixth and seventh in the overall standings, as Sunday belonged to the returning Solberg. Reeling from his Day Two retirement, the young Swede fought back to take maximum Sunday points, with victory on the Wolf Power Stage too.
Ogier ended the rally strong, and kept chipping away at Evans’ lead, but it wasn’t enough to overthrow the championship leader. Evans took victory, and extended his championship lead over Katsuta, who finished the event in fourth.
Mugello produced another classic Moto3 showdown, and this time it was Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who rose above the chaos. The 17 year old delivered a superb final-lap performance to take his maiden Grand Prix victory, leading home teammate Alvaro Carpe for a Red Bull KTM Ajo one-two. Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) completed the podium after an impressive ride from pole position, securing his first Moto3 rostrum.
The drama had started before race day. Qualifying proved costly for several riders, with many leaving their final runs too late and failing to make it back around for one last flying lap before the session ended. Joel Kelso (GRYD – MLav Racing), however, timed his run well and secured a front-row start. David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) had claimed pole position, but was later forced to withdraw from the race due to tonsillitis, handing Danish the top spot on the grid.
Credit: Pirelli Press Office
Danish made the most of the opportunity when the lights went out, launching cleanly from the front and leading the field into the opening corners. His time at the head of the race was brief, though, as Kelso quickly attacked and moved into the lead before the first lap was complete. Joel Esteban (LEVEL UP – MTA) also made early progress, passing Danish for second, while Championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) ended the opening lap down in 14th.
The championship leader wasted little time working his way forward. By the fourth lap, Quiles had climbed into the top eight, while Uriarte used Mugello’s famous slipstream to charge into the lead. From that point, the front of the race became a constant rotation, with Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), Carpe and Quiles all taking turns at the front.
Eddie O’Shea (GRYD – MLav Racing) soon became one of the race’s standout stories. After steadily climbing through the lead pack, he hit the front on Lap 13 to lead a Moto3 race for the first time. The moment did not last long, with Fernandez, Quiles and Kelso all responding quickly, but it underlined another impressive step forward for the Brit who spoke positively of his performance after the race.
At the final corner on the penultimate lap, Quiles suffered a huge rear-end slide that lifted him out of the seat and dropped him outside the top ten. After looking ready to fight for another win, he was suddenly left scrambling to rescue points. As the final lap began, Uriarte chose his moment perfectly. The rookie made his decisive move through the Casanova-Savelli section, taking the lead and then benefiting from the fierce scrap unfolding behind him. While Fernandez, Carpe, Danish and the rest of the group fought for podium positions, Uriarte found clear track at exactly the right time.
He did not waste the chance.
The #51 kept his composure through the final sector and crossed the line to claim his first Moto3 victory, a breakthrough result on one of the most demanding and unpredictable circuits on the calendar. Behind him, Carpe emerged from the late battle in second to complete a dream result for Red Bull KTM Ajo, while Danish held on for a brilliant first podium in the class.
Credit: Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
Fernandez was shuffled out of the podium places on the final lap and had to settle for fourth, though it still proved a valuable result with Quiles finishing outside the top ten. Esteban came home fifth, with O’Shea taking a career-best sixth despite losing ground in the last-lap fight.
David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) finished seventh, ahead of Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia), Kelso and Jesus Rios (Rivacold Snipers Team), who completed the top ten.
Just outside the top ten, Quiles salvaged five important championship points in eleventh after his late scare, finishing ahead of Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP – MTA) in twelth. Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) followed in thirteenth after also running wide in the final-corner shuffle, while Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) claimed fourteenth. Home favorite Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) completed the points in 15th after losing ground late on.
Despite spending most of the Tissot Superpole Race in fourth and teammate Iker Lecuona keeping him honest in the final race, Nicolo Bulega asserted his dominance over the 2026 season once again at the Aragon Round.
Race 1
Bulega kept Lecuona at bay at the start and would continue to do so for the rest of Race One.Just behind, Sam Lowes lost out to his brother Alex but by the start of the next tour was back in front.
37-year-old Tommy Bridewell ran in fifth and did a great job to repel Lorenzo Baldassari until the end.Behind came Yari Montella and Axel Bassani.
These top eight positions would remain the same throughout the race.BMW stand-in Hannes Soomer retired early as did Alvaro Bautista with brake problems.
Four Yamaha bikes were racing each other until Andrea Locatelli crashed out at turn 14 early on.The bike slid past the apex of the following corner but thankfully was avoided by those behind.
Garret Gerloff, Tarran Mackenzie and the other BMW substitute Michael van der Mark disposed of the remaining Yamahas who continued to fall down the order.Meanwhile, Bulega took a controlled victory from pole for 20 consecutive race wins and looked in little doubt to extend that run on Sunday.
Race 1 Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Tissot Superpole Race
Alberto Surra was this time able to start from where he qualified on the front row after a penalty in Race One.Surra would make it into second on the first lap as Bulega (electing for a harder rear tyre than most) ran wide on the exit of the first corner and Lecuona took the lead.
Surra pressured Lecuona for the lead and he snatched it briefly on lap two while further back Locatelli and Mackenzie took each other out on lap two as Bulega fell behind Sam Lowes to fourth.Sam made it into the lead on lap three with an aggressive move that was so harsh on Lecuona he let him straight back through.
The action was thrilling with Bulega still trapped in fourth and for the first time all year there was a lead pack of several bikes.Sam moved cleanly in front at the start of lap five but Bulega had started to recover by this stage.
Although Bulega made it into the lead on lap six he lost it twice as Lecuona, Sam Lowes and even Lorenzo Baldassri got involved for the win before crashing out on the penultimate tour.By lap eight Bulega looked to have asserted himself but Lecuona sneaked by again at turn 15 then the positions changed back once more and were not settled until the final lap in the former’s favour.
Tissot Superpole Race Results
Image Credit: WorldSBK
Race 2
After easily the best WorldSBK race of 2026 earlier in the day when Bulega looked vulnerable on a harder tyre (that ultimately still paid off), hopes were high for Race Two.Lecuona edged ahead briefly at the last corner on the opening lap but Bulega nonetheless controlled the pace to land a 22nd consecutive victory.
Baldassari and Vierge crashed at turn one and Soomer slid out early on just as he had in Race One.Sam Lowes ran safely in third as his brother Alex repelled Surra and his teammate Bassani for fourth.
Bridewell was the meat in a Barni Spark Ducati sandwich while Gerloff and van der Mark ran behind them in the same pack.Meanwhile, Mackenzie circulated 12th ahead of trio of despondent Yamaha’s and Chantra secured a point in 15th due to attrition while his teammate Jake Dixon’s comeback was cut short as he was ruled out of competing on Sunday.
Surra slid back to seventh and Bridewell to ninth as Montella retired after a crash at turn nine but his teammate Bautista at least made progress.The biggest mover though was Gerloff who followed Bautista climbing through the lower top ten positions and after a great battle prevailed for sixth.
Gordon Shedden used all of his experience to take a determined win in Round 9 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
Shedden started on a reverse grid pole and his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota came under significant pressure from championship leader Ash Sutton late on, while Tom Ingram was third on the road as he charged from last on the grid, before a track limits penalty dropped him to 8th. Daryl De Leon of WSR inherited third position.
The three-time champion did well to ward off the challenges of the Cataclean Plato Racing duo of Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan in the early laps before they faded late on, and led a peaceful existence in the lead until Sutton passed Morgan with an excellent move into Agostini.
From there it was the boost-laden Toyota against the Ford/Sutton combination with only a single lap of boost to its name, and it looked as if Sutton would win out as a move around the outside at Turn One briefly had him in the lead, but Shedden held the inside to repel an inspired Sutton.
Further back, it was a return to form for the West Surrey Racing BMW duo of Daryl De Leon and Charles Rainford, as they climbed from 10th and 8th on the grid to record 3rd and 5th place finishes respectively either side of Restart Racing’s Chris Smiley.
Morgan fell back to 6th as his boost ran out with Tom Chilton 7th. The top 10 was rounded out by Dan Cammish’s 9th placed NAPA Racing Ford Focus and Rowbottom, who faded badly on medium tyres.
It was an emotional podium at the end of race three, as Nicholas Hamilton won the Jack Sears Trophy in scenes that united the entire BTCC paddock.
