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Tag: Ducati

  • WorldSBK: Lecuona takes maiden treble as Bulega clinches championship at Cremona

    WorldSBK: Lecuona takes maiden treble as Bulega clinches championship at Cremona

    Rather ominously for the 2027 season, Iker Lecuona finally unlocked the kind of crushing form his teammate has displayed this year by taking a comfortable treble of victories in Cremona.  But today was all about 2026 as Nicolo Bulega was crowned Superbike World Champion on home soil at the EICMA Italian Round…

     

    Race 1

    From his first pole position since 2022, Lecuona held the lead throughout the entire race to take a comfortable race win.  In doing so, he delayed the coronation of Bulega for at least another day with the world championship leader having no answer for his teammate.

    Bulega was much closer to Sam Lowes behind than he was to Lecuona.  Sam had inherited the podium after fast-starting Yari Montella crashed out at the end of the first lap, later crashing again after restarting to make it four crashes in two days.

    Alberto Surra was searching for his first podium in WorldSBK but exited the race around the same time as Tommy Bridwell to let Sam Lowes go unchallenged in third.  Another contender for the podium then emerged in the form of Lorenzo Baldassari while Sam’s brother Alex held off Garrett Gerloff for the entirety of the race.

    The most action was undoubtedly between P7 and P12 as Andrea Locatelli valiantly held onto seventh as the two other Yamaha riders Remy Gardner and Stefano Manzi fell back to 11th and 12th while squabbling the entire race.  Axel Bassani, Jake Dixon and Alvaro Bautista all pressed for seventh but came home in that order.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Tissot Superpole Race

    Bulega gambled on running the qualifying tyre to try and pounce ahead of Lecuona but his strategy would backfire.  Lecuona withstood the pressure from behind in the early laps and then Bulega – as expected – ran out of grip in the second half of the race.

    The muted battle out front was at least followed by a tight contest for third.  Surra finally took his first podium ahead of Montella (who briefly got ahead on lap eight) and the two Lowes brothers, with Sam again ahead of Alex.

    Baldassari and Gerloff crashed out at the Parabolica corner on the first lap while Bautista retired further back.  Meanwhile, Gardner had been declared unfit and Dixon again impressed while scything through to ninth on his Honda.

    Tissot Superpole Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Race 2

    World champion-elect Bulega once again had to settle for second as his teammate romped to his first ever treble, but he had done enough to be crowned on home soil with two rounds and six races to spare in 2026.  It marks the conclusion of an emotional redemption arc for Bulega, once on the path to MotoGP with guidance from Valentino Rossi, cast aside and rebuilding himself in World Supersport, then doing so well over the last three years that he will now return to VR46 in the premier class of motorcycling next year as Superbike World Champion.

    The Italian has won 26 out of 30 races held so far this year, and including the last four of last year went on an unprecedented 25-race winning run.  His worst finish all season is second, and his promotion to MotoGP next year is absolutely deserved having utterly crushed his opposition with an unparalleled level of dominance and consistency.

    Behind Bulega came Montella just a second clear of Surra, the latter enjoying the most impressive round of his debut WorldSBK season to date.  Those two were initially chased by the Lowes brothers but Sam took himself out at the final corner while trying to pass his brother.

    Baldassari had work to do after crashing in the morning and was a joy to watch in a rather mute race cutting through the field to seventh.  It was very nearly sixth but Dixon held on to take his best result of his injury-affected season in sixth and his Honda teammate Somkiat Chantra almost beat Danilo Petrucci to line for 12th.

    Sixth was the position that Bridewell crashed out of with Oliveria, Vierge and Bautista (for the second time today) also failing to finish.  The Yamaha riders finished no higher than 10th while Gerloff and Bassani had anonymous runs to eighth and ninth.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Defiant Lecuona fails to best Bulega at Magny-Cours

    WorldSBK: Defiant Lecuona fails to best Bulega at Magny-Cours

    Two attritional red-flagged races at the Acerbis French Round and some contact with Iker Lecuona were not enough to stop Nicolo Bulega from keeping his cool to wrap up another treble in 2026.

    Race 1

    Lecuona almost took the lead at the first corner after starting third behind Bulega and Sam Lowes. The two would come to blows at the Adelaide hairpin and Nurburgring chicane on a few occasions at what turned out to be a manic first race at Magny Cours.

    On lap three the Ducati pair briefly made contact at the section of track that lends itself to block passes and counter attacks.  Things settled down after lap six and Bulega began to stretch his lead ahead of Lecuona while the Lowes’ brothers, Alberto Surra and Lorenzo Baldassari ran behind with Jake Dixon also impressing inside the top 10 on the Honda.

    When Remy Gardener was knocked out by fellow Yamaha rider Xavi Vierge at Adelaide early on, it started a chain of retirements that culminated in a red flag.  Tommy Bridewell’s crash into the air fence that subsequently needed repairs with 12 laps to go would leave just 14 bikes taking the restart (including only two out of five Yamahas).

    Once again, Lecuona made contact with Bulega through the Adelaide/Nurburgring section in his efforts to take the lead on the restart.  At one point, Sam Lowes nearly scythed past for second before being baulked by Lecuona with the MarcVDS rider ultimately having to settle for third.

    There were six Ducati bikes in the top eight by the finish, with Bulega inevitably pulling clear to come home 3.1 seconds ahead of a desperate Lecuona. At the other end of the pack, even when Alvaro Bautista lowsided in the second half of the race he rejoined to score guaranteed points since so few riders managed to go the distance.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK


    Tissot Superpole Race

    Although Lecuona passed Bulega to snatch the lead of the 10 lap race early on, by lap three it was a done deal.  Bulega was wise to Lecuona’s tactics after an eventful Race One yesterday and cut through at the Adelaide hairpin before the latter made a critical mistake on the following lap.

    In his desperation to repass Bulega, Lecuona made a mistake that temporarily allowed Sam Lowes through into second.  By the time Lecuona bullied his way back past into second it was too late to catch Bulega, and Sam would also end up crashing out at turn three on the last lap.

    Yari Montella just held onto third ahead of Surra and Alex Lowes (the only non Ducati in the top seven) while Bridewell held off Baldassari for sixth place. A little further back, Gardner got his revenge on Vierge from the previous day by passing him on the finishing line for eighth place.

    After profiting from a mistake by Axel Bassani, Dixon had again been in contention for a top 10 result but both he and Bautista slid wide on lap seven.   It was another wretched race for BMW, while Ducati again reigned supreme.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK


    Race 2

    Unlike in the previous pair of races, Lecuona could not outrace or outsmart Bulega, with the latter covering his lead at the start and rapidly created out an impressive buffer behind in the opening laps.  Things looked over for the race win when Bulega put in a stunningly quick lap on the fourth tour, and so it turned out to be.

    An impressive Surra leapfrogged Montella at the start but after five spirited laps of defence the former succumbed to the latter’s aggressive attacks.  Alex Lowes tried and failed to unseat Surra for fourth before he crashed out on lap 11, with Baldassari then clear to pounce and did so three laps later.

    Another satellite Ducati rider showing among the best pace they have had all year was Bridewell.  Having crashed out of Race One the previous day while running well, Bridewell was scrapping for sixth with two-time champion Bautista for most of the race, however for the second day in succession the Brit caused a red flag which this time left his body rather than a barrier bruised.

    Well over two thirds of the race was complete so the red flag ended the event – which was ultimately over anyway as Bulega had settled into his groove and disappeared like he had at so many races this year. It was another crash-filled affair at Magny Cours with Alex Lowes able to rejoin but four others crashing out as well as Bridewell.

    A surprise further down the order was the lack of progress from Sam Lowes after his morning crash consigned him to 10th on the grid from which he never progressed.  Up front and heading to Cremona with a VR46 MotoGP deal believed to be in his pocket, Bulega looks set to wrap up the 2026 crown on home soil in three weeks time.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Bulega masterful in Misano

    WorldSBK: Bulega masterful in Misano

    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.

     

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

  • WorldSBK: Rivals fall short as Bulega aces Aragon

    WorldSBK: Rivals fall short as Bulega aces Aragon

    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.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

  • WorldSBK: Lecuona looms but Bulega still on top at Most

    WorldSBK: Lecuona looms but Bulega still on top at Most

    The 2026 Czech Round at Autodrom Most saw Nicolo Bulega under serious pressure from his ever-improving teammate Iker Lecuona while Yari Montella finally secured the podium finishes he had crashed out of more than once already this season, but the ultimate outcome up front was all too familiar…

    Race 1

    The race was immediately red-flagged on lap one when Danilo Petrucci crashed at turn 13 and the BMW rider needed stretchered out of the gravel trap.  With Miguel Oliveria already absent and Michael van der Mark back to replace him this weekend, BMW may need not one but two replacement riders for the next round in just two weeks time, with Petrucci ruled out of Sunday’s action in the Czech Republic… just like Alvaro Bautista who crashed at the same place earlier in the weekend.

    On the restart, Alberto Surra and Sam Lowes provided the entertainment for the first few laps before they came together at turn 15.  Surra was docked with a long-lap penalty which spoiled another impressive run in his debut season while a livid Sam Lowes was knocked out of the race and the podium hunt.

    Profiting from the incident were a rejuvenated Garrett Gerloff with his best WorldSBK result in a long time with fourth for Kawasaki.  Axel Bassani was fifth and his teammate Alex Lowes put on a charge after a poor qualifying to rise to seventh a long way behind Lorenzo Baldassari but prevailing over Andrea Locatelli and the penalised Surra.

    Montella stayed on the bike – unlike in previous rounds where he was running well – and was rewarded with a podium that should have come much earlier in the season.  Up front having unsurprisingly dispatched Montella for second, Lecuona was promisingly keeping Bulega honest as the race progressed.

    Unlike in the first race at Assen where he pounced on Bulega’s mistake when the rain failed, this time around Lecuona caught and passed Bulega with no external factors.  With eight laps still to go Lecuona was right on the back wheel of his teammate and next time around got past at the turn one/two sequence.

    Lecuona then had to perform some block passes over the thrilling final laps of the race, but Bulega ultimately retook and held the lead in time to stretch a one-second gap on the last lap.  Finally the Italian has a genuine competitor in 2026 but importantly Bulega still has the upper hand and his unprecedented winning streak continues.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Tissot Superpole Race

    Bulega immediately went wide at turn one which allowed Lecuona into the lead and set up a fight for the win… which lasted for half a lap.  Once Bulega struck back he was able to repel his teammate for another victory and guarantee pole for the afternoon race.

    Also at the start, Sam Lowes crashed out while Axel Bassani and Locatelli had to take to the escape road and bypass the first two turns.  Montella settled in third and Gerloff ran as high as fourth before slipping back behind Baldassari (who nearly made it to the podium) and Surra.

    Bahattin Soguoglu’s engine blew up at halfway but thankfully the race was not affected.  The three BSB champions came rounded out the top nine that sets the grid for the full-distance afternoon race while Bulega came home two seconds clear out front.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Race 2

    For almost the first half of the race, there were six Ducati’s in the top six.  The order at the front was once again Bulega, Lecuona, Montella and Baldassari – the latter coming close to the podium again and who broke free from one of the most interesting battles of the season so far behind him.

    Gerloff and Surra spent the majority of the race locked in a thrilling duel for fifth.  They came together twice before Gerloff finally won out, with their battles allowing the Bimota duo to close in once they had dispatched of Tarran Mackenzie.

    Mackenzie slid out with a small error with seven laps to go, as Locatelli and Bridewell fought all the way to the line over ninth.  Sam Lowes slowly made progress from his poor grid position but spent most of his time battling the struggling Yamaha’s.

    As in Saturday’s race the fight for the lead was closely contested by the factory Ducati duo.  Although this was the closest Lecuona (or anyone) has come to beating Bulega this year, the Italian demonstrated he still has the upper hand and sealed a narrow victory.

    With the rumours of a MotoGP switch for 2027 intensifying and both Montella and Surra putting on an audition to replace him, the Superbike World Championship finally enjoyed a competitive weekend of racing at the sharp end in 2026. Ultimately however, the end result was all too familiar as Bulega took another record-extending treble victory.

    Race 2 Results

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Records tumble as Bulega blitzes Balaton Park

    WorldSBK: Records tumble as Bulega blitzes Balaton Park

    Nicolo Bulega has now won a record 16 consecutive WorldSBK races as Balaton Park again claimed several victims across the weekend of the Motul Hungarian Round.

    Race 1

    Bulega got the holeshot ahead of a flying Alberto Surra and Yari Montella.  Sam Lowes was hit with a double long-lap penalty for a jump start while Miguel Oliveira and Andrea Locatelli sneaked ahead of Iker Lecuona.

    Lorenzo Baldassari suffered a huge crash at the same corner Alvaro Bautista went off at last year but thankfully he was unhurt and the race continued.  The next focus after the start was on the inevitable charge of Lecuona.

    It took until lap six for Lecuona to get into runner-up spot.  Such was his pace that some speculated if he could have won the race with a better starting position, although it is difficult to say whether Bulega was simply managing the gap en route to his record-breaking 14th straight WorldSBK victory as the gap started to noticeably come down as the laps progressed.

    The fight for third however was thrilling.  It was great to watch Surra fighting up front but it never lasted long despite his best efforts and some wild defensive manouevers.

    Oliveria prevailed after a great three-way fight with Surra and Montella.  Surra would also fall behind Bautista, Alex Lowes and Andrea Locatelli by race end.  There was another thrilling race-long fight around the bottom of the top-ten like there normally is in WorldSBK with Xavi Vierge being the roadblock in ninth with four of his rivals finishing within 1.3 seconds of him.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Tissot Superpole Race

    Bulega was forced wide by Montella misjudging his braking into turn one.  Baldassari shuffled through to the lead ahead of Lecuona while Locatelli and Oliveria contested third.

    Halfway around the first lap Locatelli and Oliveria crashed into each other causing a red flag as they narrowly avoided being hit by the rest of the field.  This saved Bulega as the race was reset to the original starting grid for the restarted eight-lap affair.

    Bulega got away clear this time around as Baldassari bashed Montella to let Lecuona through for second at turn two. Bautista slotted into fourth as well and he defended the rest of the race from Montella and Surra.

    Sam Lowes had a strange temporary issue while his brother rode to a comfortable seventh.  Garrett Gerloff and Tarran Mackenzie rounded out the top-nine to set the grid for race two and with Lecuona going to start on the front row, hopes were high that Bulega could be challenged in the afternoon.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Race 2

    The two factory Ducati’s escaped from the satellite riders behind at the start.  Baldassari’s eventful weekend continued when he ran the two of them wide allowing Montella into third.

    Locatelli crashed out on lap three while Bautista started to fall down the order after his incident with Baldassari.  Axel Bassani, Tommy Bridewell and Alex Lowes also retired in the opening stages with the latter almost running into the back of Mackenzie which caused his crash.

    Baldassari slowly started to close on Montella for the podium having escaped punishement.  Behind them Gerloff did well to pass Surra for fifth with Sam Lowes later deposing the young Italian for sixth.

    Mackenzie finished a comfortable eighth ahead of the two GRT Yamaha teammates with Bautista a lowly 11th ahead of the similarly disappointed Vierge.  Both factory BMW riders were withdrawn due to injuries suffered earlier, while Bulega lead Lecuona home for yet another treble of race wins in 2026.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Bulega continues crushing form around Assen

    WorldSBK: Bulega continues crushing form around Assen

    Despite the best efforts of Iker Lecuona and Sam Lowes – as well as some rain in Race 1 – Nicolo Bulega continued his winning ways in World Superbikes at the 2026 Pirelli Dutch Round.

    Race 1

    Bulega was beaten to the first corner not by Sam Lowes from 2nd but his teammate Lecuona starting in 3rd.  This move set the tone for the race as Lecuona did everything in his power to disrupt Bulega’s winning run.

    The start also saw Tommy Bridewell pushed out wide by Lorenzo Baldassari and Danilo Petrucci jump-starting and being hit with a double long-lap penalty.  On the first of these he misjudged his breaking and ended up running through the gravel effectively ending his race.

    Bulega caught Lecuona lacking near the end of the second lap, after which things settled down.  Sam Lowes was able to keep the aruba.it Ducati’s in his sights while Alvaro Bautista and Alex Lowes consolidated fourth and fifth places.

    Just after the halfway point, rain started to fall but not by enough to force the riders to change bikes or race direction to stop proceedings.  The rain caught out Bulega and at the final chicane he made a mistake, kickstarting a six-lap showdown with Lecuona watched closely by Sam Lowes behind.

    The two factory Ducati riders swapped places three times in three laps, before with three laps to go Bulega finally sealed the deal to retake and stretch his lead in the closing laps.  Sam Lowes had to settle for third while Tarran Mackenzie sadly dropped back a couple of places having run as high as sixth while Andrea Locatelli and Miguel Oliveria capitalised.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Tissot Superpole Race

    Xavi Vierge was the biggest mover at the start of Sunday morning’s 10-lap affair while Alex Lowes went the other way.  The top three held positions throughout the race as Bulega made it 12 race wins in a row.

    Alex Lowes had work to do after his poor start and he recovered for a thrilling fight for fourth with Bautista in the closing laps.  Vierge fell back behind those two into sixth, but his teammate initially running in seventh would be the source of lots of action in the lower top-10 positions.

    Locatelli fell backwards allowing Petrucci to capitalise as Baldassari, Remy Gardner and Yari Montella all had stints inside the crucial top nine positions which set the grid for Race 2.  After being penalised on the last lap, Locatelli had to cede ninth to Gardner but got back past in the nick of time.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Race 2

    Still chasing his maiden WorldSBK victory, Sam Lowes got off to a flier in Race 2.  However, after just three of the 21 laps around Assen the dream was over as the factory Ducati duo bullied him back into third.

    Lecuona lead for around half a lap after passing the satellite Ducati rider before Bulega then passed him and rode off into a controlled victory by three seconds.  Meanwhile, Bautista and Alex Lowes continued their battling for fourth as Vierge started to get swallowed up by the horde of Ducati’s in the top-10.

    The next non-Ducati’s were 2025 Assen winner Locatelli and Petrucci as the other BMW of Oliveria made a mistake at the final chicane that dropped him as low as 14th at one stage.  A disgruntled Alex Lowes fell back and fought with Mackenzie for 10th while Oliveira finished only 11th after his Portimao podiums.

    Unusually for WorldSBK, all the riders finished the race under overcast conditions in Assen.  Ultimately though, no one could tame Bulega who romped to a Razgatlioglu-equalling 13 race wins on the trot.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

     

  • WorldSBK: Bulega starts 2026 with Phillip Island sweep

    WorldSBK: Bulega starts 2026 with Phillip Island sweep

    The 2026 season of the Superbike World Championship kicked off down under at the Phillip Island Circuit with the Australian Round.  In the absence of Toprak Razgatlioglu, there was already a clear pre-season title favourite…

     

    Race 1

    From pole position, all Nicolo Bulega had to do after dominating the weekend so far was make it through the first lap unscathed.  He did just that and won comfortably by 5 seconds.

    Similarly unbothered in Race 1 was Yari Montella who claimed his first front-row start and ran comfortably to his best finish in 2nd place.  His new teammate Alvaro Bautista was not so fortunate, becoming the first rider of 2026 to crash out of a race in the early stages.

    Lorenzo Baldassari made a remarkable return to WorldSBK, forcing his way through to 3rd and just holding on to it ahead of Axel Bassani in a thrilling sprint to the finish line.  The two other podium contenders were the Lowes’ brothers, but Alex fell back in the closing stages to 7th behind his brother in 5th and a charging Iker Lecuona in 6th.

    Running in 8th and by far the best Yamaha rider on his debut for the marque was Xavi Vierge who was sent to the medical centre after a terrifying crash at Stoner corner that strew gravel across the track just before Miller hairpin.  Garrett Gerloff slipped up on the debris shortly after and reignited an intense battle for the lower top 10 positions.

    Gerloff had been battling impressive rookie Alberto Surra with the pair running ahead of a rejuvenated Tarran Mackenzie.  ‘Taz’ had enough pace to hold up Danilo Petrucci for several laps before Miguel Oliveria came through from the back of the grid (after a crash in Tissot Superpole) to clinch 8th at the flag.

    Mackenzie slipped to 12th but was ahead of a despondent Andrea Locatelli – the top Yamaha finisher in 13th and ahead of the two stand-in Honda HRC riders rounding out the points.  Despite the promise shown by Montella, Baldassari, Bassani and Oliveria, nothing could dispel the fact that Bulega was looking unbeatable after the opening race of 2026.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Tissot Superpole Race

    For the first time ever, Montella led a WorldSBK race after snatching the lead at the start.  Alex led his brother Sam with Bulega relegated to 4th, and his teammate Lecuona was also forced out wide at the beginning, while Vierge sadly never made the start.

    Bulega was back in the lead by lap 4 after some aggressive moves past the top 3 and was unchallenged thereafter.  Montella faded to 4th, with Bassani fighting through to 2nd ahead of his teammate Alex Lowes for a historic double Bimota podium.

    Sam Lowes was 5th ahead of Gerloff and Bautista with Race 1 star Baldassari down in 8th.  The Italian was fortunate to finish there after Oliveira’s phenomenal charge from the back of the grid fell short after suffering technical issues on the last lap so Lecuona took 9th – thus setting the grid for the first 3 rows of Race 2.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Race 2

    With the white flag being waved midway through the Tissot Superpole Race, rain always looked like a possibility.  The soaking wet affair did nothing to faze Bulega who romped to another victory down under.

    Montella and Bassani broke free of the chasing Lowes’ brothers before Sam went down on lap 8.  Bautista settled in 4th as an impressive Mackenzie was impressively holding off Alex Lowes for 6th.

    Locatelli was having a better Race 2 than his dire Race 1 and was on his own in 7th ahead of a tight battle for 8th between Lecuona and the BMW duo, with Oliveira having come through from the back of the grid for the third race in succession.

    Montella tragically crashed out halfway through by which time Mattia Rato, Ryan Vickers and Vierge had also been eliminated from the wet affair.  Alex Lowes slid out with a fast lowside crash with 4 laps to go so all 15 riders who finished the race scored championship points.

    The retirements left big gaps for Bassani and Bautista to come home comfortably on the rostrum behind Bulega with Mackenzie scoring his best WorldSBK result in 4th, clearly enjoying his time aboard the satellite MGM Ducati.  Locatelli narrowly held off a charging Petrucci for 5th, with Oliveria, Lecuona and Baldassari close behind.

    Gerloff was alone in 10th and not quite as fast as he had been in dry conditions.  Up front, Bulega employed a swimming celebration to symbolise his treble victory around Phillip Island that has absolutely lived up to his reputation as the overwhelming 2026 title favourite.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Championship Standings

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    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu withstands Bulega pressure to seal 2025 WSBK Championship in Jerez

    WorldSBK: Razgatlioglu withstands Bulega pressure to seal 2025 WSBK Championship in Jerez

    A controversial crash in the Tissot Superpole Race in Jerez that led to borderline violent scenes from the Turkish fans coupled with a crushing treble of race wins from Nicolo Bulega was not enough to prevent Toprak Razgatlioglu from wrapping up his third WorldSBK title at the Pirelli Spanish Round.

    Tissot Superpole Race

    All Razgatlioglu had to do to wrap up the championship was finish in the top 7 of the morning’s 10-lap race.  This should not have been difficult and it was fully expected that ‘El Turco’ would seal the deal before the final full-distance race of the year in the afternoon.

    A promising start that left him challenging Bulega on the first lap saw Razgatlioglu pushed wide by Bulega at turn 5 in a similar but more consequential move to the one that occurred at the start of Race 1 yesterday.  Razgatlioglu was unable to rejoin and thankfully his BMW was not too damaged, although there were obvious concerns about reliability for Race 2.

    Razgatlioglu’s exit meant that BMW’s efforts to clinch the Manufacturers’ Championship had taken a serious blow with them being left 19 points down on Ducati with one race to go.  Bulega was immediately placed under investigation and was docked with a single long-lap penalty, but he was so far out front and so fast that his lead was barely compromised.

    Bulega’s dominant win cut the gap to 22 points and although the only way he could win the championship was victory in Race 2 with Razgatlioglu lower than 13th, the anger towards the Ducati rider was palpable as many expected things to have been wrapped up in the morning.  Loud boos and jeers were directed towards Bulega when he arrived in the paddock and there were rumours of the ardent Turkish support getting particularly aggressive towards anyone trying to calm them down.

    Additional security was deployed and social media went mental demanding justice for Razgatlioglu.  The BMW team shielded Razgatlioglu from any press intrusion until after Race 2 as the WorldSBK paddock geared up for its first final race showdown since 2014.

    Well behind Bulega came Alvaro Bautista who dispatched Andrea Iannone for 2nd on lap 4 at turn 6.  The Italian was able to hold on to 3rd place ahead of a squabbling Xavi Vierge and Alex Lowes, the latter running wide on the last lap to cost him 4th place.

    Andrea Locatelli passed an impressive Tarran Mackenzie for 6th place on the penultimate lap while Iker Lecuona and Micheal van der Mark rounded out the crucial top 9 spots that set the grid for Race 2, with Razgatlioglu trapped down in 10th.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Race 2

    Amidst the fallout of the Bulega/Razgatlioglu incident, some hugely unfortunate news broke from the medical centre.  Jonathan Rea crashed out at high speed with Remy Gardner at turn 3 and unlike his accident at turn 4 yesterday, this one left him with an injured knee and he was declared unfit for Race 2.

    Rea was therefore left unable to contest his final WorldSBK race in which Yamaha were running a celebratory livery.  A despondent Rea was caught on camera watching the race with his family from their garage following a huge outpouring of support and appreciation in the paddock towards the Northern Irish 6-time World Champion, who may be seen testing next year in plans that are yet to be revealed.

    Starting in 10th, the only real fear for Razgatlioglu was if his bike broke down or he was caught up in a melee in the midfield.  The Turk methodically made his way up to 3rd place and settled there to win the championship by 13 points as Bulega clinched a treble of race victories.

    Bulega first had to ignore the pressure by the critical fans and even some of his fellow riders, and he lost the initial lead to his teammate Bautista who was obviously determined to repeat Chaz Davies past feat of winning his last race with the aruba.it Ducati team.  Through his strong point of turn 5 that let him set up a move into turn 6, once Bulega was past Bautista it was a done deal and all the focus switched to Razgatlioglu.

    With 12 laps to go Razgatlioglu was already up to 3rd, having dealt with Locatelli, Vierge, Lowes and Iannone who had been battling all weekend in Jerez for positions just below the rostrum.  It was a fairly underwhelming race overall once Razgatlioglu settled into his rhythm and the laps wound down to confirm him as a 3-time WorldSBK Champion ahead of his blockbuster move to MotoGP next season.

    Iannone had slipped back while running in 7th to fend off Mackenzie and Lecuona, who swapped places by the end of the race.  Michael van der Mark was a lowly 13th in his final WorldSBK race as BMW lost out on the Manufacturers’ Championship to Ducati.

    Bautista did more than enough to secure 3rd place overall in the World Championship which arguably should have gone to the Independent Champion Danilo Petrucci, who was ruled out of the last 2 rounds (6 races).  The only retirements from the race were Lukas Tulovic through a crash and Garrett Gerloff brought his underwhelming season with Kawasaki to close by retiring into the pitlane.

    In any other year, Bulega would have been World Championship, but the critical retirement while leading Race 2 in Assen for example when Razgatlioglu was further down the order will be a painful pill to swallow.  As for Razgatlioglu, he heads to MotoGP having left his mark on a championship that will simply never be the same without him, or indeed Jonathan Rea…

     

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    2025 WorldSBK Riders’ Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    2025 WorldSBK Manufacturers’ Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • WorldSBK: Bulega bounces back on Sunday in Aragon

    WorldSBK: Bulega bounces back on Sunday in Aragon

    Nicolo Bulega bounced back on Sunday at the Tissot Aragon Round to keep the Superbike World Championship battle rolling on into the last two rounds after a pair of hard-fought victories against Toprak Razgatlioglu, whose record-breaking winning streak he has finally ended.

     

    Tissot Superpole Race

    As with Race 1 yesterday, Razgatlioglu established a pattern of passing into turn 15 but Bulega would retaliate through the long final corner of turn 16.  This first occurred at the end of lap 1 then again on laps 2, 4, 5 and 9.

    When both realised they would have to get a little more creative to pass each other, turns 7 and 12 became passing hotspots.  Razgatlioglu preferred the former and Bulega the latter.

    Behind them was Alvaro Bautista who made it into 3rd place but still had Sam Lowes sticking with him.  Dominique Aegerter, Yari Montella and Tito Rabat collided at turn 5 on the opening lap but it was an otherwise clean 10-lap affair.

    The TV direction had no chance to much of the action further down the grid as the titanic battle constantly played out at the front.  With 3 laps to go, Bautista had broken free of Sam Lowes after the Brit made a small mistake and it looked as if the Spaniard could possibly make it a 3-way fight for the win or at least try and take some points off Razgatlioglu to help his teammate.

    The other notable thing to happen on lap 8 was that there was no overtakes between the top 2.  Razgatlioglu was preparing himself for a late lunge and it came at turn 7 on the penultimate lap.

    However, Bulega was back ahead at turn 12 before Razgatlioglu slid through at turn 15 and lost the lead again at the end of the straight going through turn 16.  It was all so predictable but heading onto the last lap through the last two corners but going into the last lap it was all to play for.

    Razgatlioglu surprised Bulega with a move into the corkscrew halfway around the final lap.  The BMW rider held the lead right up until the last corner, when the inevitable happened…

    Bulega slingshot his way underneath his rival and took victory by    to avenge his narrow defeat yesterday and ended Razgatlioglu’s winning streak of 13 races to seal his first victory since back in May at Most.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Race 2

    The whole grid made it cleanly around the opening corners of Race 2 as Bautista fell down to 5th behind Andrea Iannone and Jonathan Rea.  Then came the inevitable Razgatlioglu pass on Bulega at turn 15 before the Ducati’s retaliation at turn 16.

    Razgatlioglu had to try something different and one lap later bullied his rival out of the way at turn 14 instead of 15, but again Bulega was far superior through the long left of the last corner.  When Razgatlioglu passed into turn 16 himself on lap 3, by the exit of the corner Bulega was immediately back ahead.

    Thankfully for Razgatlioglu he carried enough speed to retake the lead at turn 1 as it became clear that we were once again in for an absolute classic World Superbikes race.  Bulega was back ahead by turn 16 next time around.

    Meanwhile, Bautista had gotten back up to 3rd place and began to slowly reel in the leaders.  Ultimately, he lost too much time to catch Razgatlioglu and try to take some points off him to help his teammate Bulega.

    At the end of lap 7 Razgatliolgu was again briefly ahead through turn 16 but was close enough to scythe through on Bulega at turn 7 on the following lap.  Bulega struck back at turn 12 and held on until turn 1 on lap 10.

    The defining moment of the race sadly did not come right at the end as it had yesterday or in the Tissot Superpole Race.  After a successful move at turn 7 again on lap 11, the next time around at the same corner Razgatlioglu uncharacteristically ran wide to let Bulega through easily.

    That was it as far as the race was concerned and Razgatlioglu had to focus on repelling Bautista behind to bank the points for 2nd place.  Meanwhile, Bahattin Sofuoglu and Zaqhwan Zaidi crashed out further down the order.

    The next most interesting fight to develop was over 4th place.  With 4 laps to go the battle intensified between Iannone, Rea and Sam Lowes but the latter slid out at turn 14 on the penultimate lap.

    Alex Lowes was around 3 seconds further back and trying to keep Andrea Locatelli at bay with Michael van der Mark close behind.  The latter rider on the second BMW crashed out at high speed at turn 16 on the penultimate lap but thankfully was not too badly hurt.

    The late accidents promoted Garrett Gerloff and Ryan Vickers to the points.  Bulega eased to the line 3.2 seconds clear of his title rival with Razgatlioglu just over a second clear of Bautista so that the championship lead comes down from 39 to 36 points with 2 rounds (6 races) to go in 2025.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK