16 years after Biaggi: Gigi Dall’Igna makes history with Bulega

Ducati racing director Luigi Dall’Igna was in Cremona to witness Nicolo Bulega’s title victory. The Ducati Corse boss watched as the Italian finished second in the second race, thereby securing the Superbike World Championship title ahead of schedule. Although Iker Lecuona won all three races over the weekend, the World Championship went to his team-mate.

After the title was decided, Dall’Igna emphasised that Ducati had not relied solely on a strong rider this season. The new Panigale V4R was also competitive in the hands of riders outside the factory team. For him, this is a sign that the development of the motorbike was heading in the right direction.

Ducati’s work paid off

“We’ve made quite a few changes to the bike compared to last season,” explained Dall’Igna, delighted that the improvements were having the desired effect. The changes weren’t entirely without controversy, as not all Ducati fans were in favour of doing away with the single-sided swingarm.

“These successes mean that our further development has worked very, very well,” stated the Ducati racing director, letting the results speak for themselves.

Ducati Panigale V4R 2026

Foto: WorldSBK

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He attributes the success to the close collaboration between two departments: “Ultimately, it’s a combination of the work done by the racing department and the road bike department. We’ve been working together on this bike right from the start. In the end, we’ve achieved something great.”

In doing so, Dall’Igna directly links the World Championship title to the development of the production model. The Panigale V4R first had to provide the basis as a road bike, from which Ducati Corse and the Aruba team could turn it into a winning racing machine. Bulega’s title in the new model’s first year of competition is, for him, the result of this joint effort.

Bulega brings back some memories of Biaggi for Dall’Igna

Another parallel makes this success particularly special for Dall’Igna. Back in 2010, an Italian – Max Biaggi – won the Superbike World Championship title on a motorbike he had helped to develop. At the time, Dall’Igna was working for Aprilia. Sixteen years later, he is once again at the centre of a title-deciding race with an Italian rider, this time with Ducati and Bulega.

“Winning with an Italian rider is really very important for an Italian brand like Ducati,” said Dall’Igna. “And for us personally too, because we are Italians. This means we now have two great Italian world champions: Max Biaggi and now Nicolo Bulega.”

Imola 2010: Gigi Dall'Igna feiert Max Biaggis WM-Erfolg mit Aprilia

Foto: Gold & Goose