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World Championship title draws nearer: Nicolo Bulega claims he hasn’t done the maths yet

Nicolo Bulega has won 23 out of 24 races in the 2026 Superbike World Championship season. At Donington Park, Ducati clinched the trophies in the Team and Constructors’ Championships – the riders’ title will follow shortly.

WorldSBK

This article is an automatically generated English version. The Original Article was published in German.

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Nicolo Bulega’s sensational winning streak came to an end in the first race at Donington Park; after 25 victories since 12 October 2025, he was beaten by his Aruba Ducati team-mate Iker Lecuona. “I didn’t play my cards very well on Saturday, but I had the potential to win,” said the Italian, looking back after securing first place in both races on Sunday. “When I woke up on Sunday morning, I told myself that I just had to ride to the best of my ability, and then I’d win. We made a few changes to the bike, and my pace was fast.”

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Bulega didn’t get off to perfect starts

Starting from pole position, Bulega did not enter the first corner in the lead in any of the three races; he described overtaking the riders ahead of him as “not easy”. In the sprint race, Lecuona crashed whilst leading; to secure another victory, Bulega first had to get past the fast Ducati privateer Yari Montella. “My only option was to ride aggressively into Turn 11,” said the World Championship leader, describing his tactics. “I always had to brake my way past from far behind. Yari is a brilliant rider who brakes hard. If I’d been first after the start and could have taken my lines right from the off, it would have been easier for me.”

Would Bulega have won the sprint even without Lecuona’s crash? “Hard to say,” mused the 26-year-old in a small group of journalists. “My pace was strong, better than on Saturday. I set my fastest lap straight after I’d overtaken Yari. I don’t know how fast Iker would have been over the last two or three laps.”

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Bulega: World Championship title in Cremona would be perfect

After 23 wins in 24 races of the 2026 season, Bulega stands on 491 points, five short of the maximum. His lead over second-placed Lecuona stands at 133 points ahead of the summer break, which lasts almost eight weeks. The final third of the season gets underway in France on the first weekend of September, with 248 points still up for grabs.

Ducati clinched the team and constructors’ titles early in England. When does Bulega expect to secure his own triumph? “I haven’t done the maths yet,” noted the rider with 43 race wins to his name. “It would be perfect in Cremona, at a race in Italy – that would be fantastic.”

Assuming Bulega were to win all three races at Magny-Cours and Lecuona were to finish second in each, his lead going into Cremona would be 145 points. He could then score 21 points fewer than the Spaniard at his home race and still become Superbike World Champion for the first time.

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Topics

  1. Results

  2. Championship Standings

Results

Full Standings
  1. Race

  2. Starting Grid

  3. Race

  4. Starting Grid

  5. Warm-up

  6. Race

  7. Starting Grid

  8. Superpole

  9. 3 Free Practice

  10. 2 Free Practice

  11. 1 Free Practice

Pos
#
Rider
Rider
Team
Rounds
Time
Fastest Lap
Points

01

11

Nicolò Bulega

Aruba.it Racing - Ducati

Nicolò Bulega

Aruba.it Racing - Ducati

23

32:56,440

1:25,249

25

02

7

Iker Lecuona

Aruba.it Racing - Ducati

Iker Lecuona

Aruba.it Racing - Ducati

23

+4,161

1:25,356

20

03

5

Yari Montella

BARNI Spark Racing Team

Yari Montella

BARNI Spark Racing Team

23

+6,850

1:25,311

16

04

47

Axel Bassani

Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team

Axel Bassani

Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team

23

+15,346

1:25,844

13

05

22

Alex Lowes

Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team

Alex Lowes

Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team

23

+15,582

1:25,826

11

06

31

Garrett Gerloff

Kawasaki WorldSBK Team

Garrett Gerloff

Kawasaki WorldSBK Team

23

+16,656

1:25,974

10

07

14

Sam Lowes

Elf Marc VDS Racing Team

Sam Lowes

Elf Marc VDS Racing Team

23

+22,438

1:25,626

9

08

34

Lorenzo Baldassarri

Team GO Eleven

Lorenzo Baldassarri

Team GO Eleven

23

+24,748

1:26,149

8

09

97

Xavier Vierge

Pata Maxus Yamaha

Xavier Vierge

Pata Maxus Yamaha

23

+25,293

1:25,936

7

10

19

Álvaro Bautista

BARNI Spark Racing Team

Álvaro Bautista

BARNI Spark Racing Team

23

+26,627

1:26,299

6

Events

All WorldSBK Events
  • Past

    Magny-Cours/Frankreich

    Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Frankreich
    04.–06.09.2026
  • Past

    Cremona/Italien

    Circuito San Martino del Lago, Italien
    25.–27.09.2026
  • Past

    Estoril/Portugal

    Autódromo do Estoril , Portugal
    09.–11.10.2026
  • Past

    Jerez/Spanien

    Circuito de Jerez, Spanien
    16.–18.10.2026
  1. Past

    Magny-Cours/Frankreich

    Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Frankreich
    04.–06.09.2026
  2. Past

    Cremona/Italien

    Circuito San Martino del Lago, Italien
    25.–27.09.2026
  3. Past

    Estoril/Portugal

    Autódromo do Estoril , Portugal
    09.–11.10.2026
  4. Past

    Jerez/Spanien

    Circuito de Jerez, Spanien
    16.–18.10.2026

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