Gerloff (Kawasaki) on Ducati’s dominance: “There’s no easy solution”

A glance at the provisional standings of the 2026 Superbike World Championship speaks for itself: after seven of twelve race weekends, Ducati has won all 21 races of the season – Nicolo Bulega has been unbeaten since the second race at Estoril in October 2025. In the manufacturers’ championship, Ducati leads with 434 points, well ahead of Bimota (192), BMW (127), Yamaha (116), Kawasaki (91) and Honda (18). In the riders’ championship too, three Ducati riders – Bulega, Iker Lecuona and Yari Montella – are at the top of the standings.

For Garrett Gerloff, who is currently eleventh in the World Championship and rides the only Kawasaki in the field, the situation is anything but straightforward. Speaking to SPEEDWEEK.com, the American admitted that the balance of power is increasingly becoming a challenge for the entire championship.

Ahead of the race weekend at Most, Ducati’s technical coordinator Marco Zambenedetti had sharply criticised the latest fuel flow restriction imposed on Ducati. He complained that, apart from Ducati, only BMW was continuing to invest consistently in Superbike development, whilst other manufacturers were instead hoping for technical concessions.

Restrictions for the serial winners or concessions for the underdogs?

Gerloff takes a nuanced view of the issue. “Ducati has always been among the manufacturers fighting for the top spots. But Kawasaki dominated the championship for six years with Johnny Rea. Back then, there were also restrictions designed to make life harder for Johnny. Nevertheless, he went on to become world champion.”

The Kawasaki rider emphasised that everyone involved is working hard to achieve success. “We’re all working hard to achieve our goals – to win races and championships. Ducati has a really good bike at the moment. At the same time, there were many years when they simply didn’t win the title.”

This is precisely where Gerloff sees the difficult balancing act for those in charge. “It’s difficult to keep everything fair whilst at the same time allowing those who have worked so hard for it to enjoy their success. Finding the right balance is really not easy.”

Garrett Gerloff sorgt sich um das Interesse an der Superbike-WM

Foto: Gold & Goose

The American doesn’t have a ready-made solution himself. Nevertheless, he hopes the series will remain exciting in the long term. “I don’t want the championship to lose interest because the races become less exciting. We all want to see good racing, because in the end, everyone benefits from that.”

He cannot say whether the solution lies in reining in the most successful manufacturers or in bringing the competition closer to their level. “I don’t know what the right solution is. Presumably, one option costs significantly less money than the other – that’s likely to be a factor. But I think that people who work hard should also be able to enjoy their success.”