Aruba.it Ducati boss Cecconi recognised Nicolò Bulega’s talent as early as 2022

Nicolò Bulega was under considerable pressure at the Superbike meeting in Cremona. There was no doubt that he would finish the 2026 Superbike World Championship as world champion. However, the 26-year-old wanted to win the title in Italy on home soil – for himself, for Ducati and for Aruba.it. Given the determination and pace of his team-mate Iker Lecuona, he would have had to take a big risk to secure victories – he opted for the safer route and finished second behind the Spaniard on both occasions.

It was qualities such as these that team principal and Aruba boss Stefano Cecconi saw in Bulega when he signed him. Five years later, riders’ world championships in the 2023 Supersport World Championship and the 2026 Superbike World Championship confirm the wisdom of his decision at the time.

“Experiencing a moment like this is something very special,” said an emotional Cecconi on Sunday afternoon, as Bulega was crowned Superbike World Champion in the second race at the Cremona Circuit. “Nicolò’s world title is the result of a journey we have undertaken together with commitment and dedication. From the moment he joined our project, we recognised important qualities in him: talent, speed and determination, coupled with a maturity that has grown steadily. Nicolò approached every race weekend very intelligently, turning pressure into motivation and proving, race after race, that he deserves this success in every respect.”

Willkommen zum Rennen in Cremona

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Nicolò Bulega

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Fans

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Sam und Alex Lowes

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Iker Lecuona

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Jake Dixon

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Garrett Gerloff

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Das Bike von Yari Montella

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Nicolò Bulega

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Axel Bassani

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Alex Lowes

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Xavi Vierge

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Alberto Surra

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Jake Dixon

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Andrea Locatelli

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Nicolò Bulega

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Sam Lowes

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Axel Bassani

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Yari Montella

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Andrea Locatelli

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Iker Lecuona gewinnt beide Läufe in Cremona

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Nicolò Bulega ist Superbike-Weltmeister 2026

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Weltmeister Nicolò Bulega

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Lauf 1 - Nicolò Bulega, Iker Lecuona, Sam Lowes

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Lauf 2 - Nicolò Bulega, Iker Lecuona, Yari Montella

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Cremona-Sieger Iker Lecuona

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Weltmeister Nicolò Bulega

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Cremona

© Gold & Goose

The Italian continued: “This journey also reflects the strength of the relationship between Aruba.it and Ducati, which extends far beyond the sporting dimension of our partnership. It is a joint project that brings together two icons of Italian excellence, united by expertise, vision and the ability to innovate in an extremely competitive environment. I would like to thank every member of our team and everyone at Borgo Panigale who has worked to achieve this extraordinary result.’

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In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Bulega narrowly lost out to the exceptional Toprak Razgatlioglu on both occasions and was considered the favourite for this year. However, such a dominant campaign – he won 26 out of 30 races and finished on the podium every time – came as a surprise to Cecconi.

“It was a season we wouldn’t even have dared to dream of. Before the season started, we were confident that we’d have a good motorbike and good riders, but to be honest, we hadn’t expected this level of dominance,” the entrepreneur asserted. “It’s been an incredible journey from Phillip Island to here, and we hope to enjoy the last two races to round off a season of records that will stand for a very long time.”

Following the race weekends at Estoril and Jerez, Aruba and Bulega will part ways, with Bulega returning to Team VR46 and moving up to MotoGP in 2027.