Ducati CEO on Bulega’s title: “A stepping stone on the path to even greater things”

Nicolo Bulega is the 2026 Superbike World Champion. A second-place finish in the second race at Cremona was enough for the Ducati factory rider to secure the title with two race weekends still to go. Team-mate Iker Lecuona won all three races of the weekend, but after the final race, the celebrations were all for Bulega. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali had travelled to Cremona to witness the moment.

For Domenicali, the title is also a testament to the new Panigale V4R. “Of course, this is very significant and very important for us. Winning is always a great thing,” he said. Success in the Superbike World Championship holds special significance for Ducati: “We started winning here in the 1990s. We’ve won more championships than all the other manufacturers put together. The Superbike World Championship is part of our DNA.”

Ducati: A great Superbike history and present

For him, however, the crucial factor is that Ducati is capable of winning with the new production bike. “We shouldn’t just talk about the past. Winning today means we can continue to develop road bikes that provide a fantastic foundation,” explained Domenicali.

Claudio Domenicali

Foto: Gold & Goose

The racing department uses this foundation to create a competitive Superbike. “And the icing on the cake is a rider like Nicolo, who makes the most of all this and turns it into a season that’s almost unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

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A significant success following two BMW titles

Following the 2022 and 2023 titles with Alvaro Bautista, Ducati had failed to win the Riders’ World Championship on two consecutive occasions. With the new Panigale V4R, the next success has now come in its very first year.

Nicolò Bulega & Toprak Razgatlioglu

Foto: Gold & Goose

“We had very good years in 2022 and 2023. 2024 was more complicated, and in 2025 we fought right until the end,” reflected Domenicali. “This year was also important because we have a completely new motorbike. Proving that our development work on the Panigale has really paid off means a great deal to us.”

Ducati gave Bulega a fresh start to his career

Bulega’s title also has a personal dimension for the Ducati CEO. The Italian joined Ducati during a difficult phase of his career, rediscovered his former form in the Supersport World Championship and won the title there before moving up to the Superbike World Championship. However, Domenicali does not want the triumph in Cremona to be seen as the end of this story, as the journey continues in MotoGP in 2027.

“Nicolo is still very young, and he’ll be working with us again in MotoGP,” he said. For Bulega, the opportunity back then was a fresh start: “He was able to believe in himself again, rediscover his form and win first the Supersport title, then the Superbike title. It’s a fantastic story – and an important stepping stone on the way to even greater things.”

Supersport-Weltmeister 2023: Nicolo Bulega

Foto: Gold & Goose