WorldSBK: Perfect season continues for Bulega and Ducati
The Aragon Round of WorldSBK marked the halfway point of 2026 as Nicolo Bulega continued his run of success.
The Italian rider has notched up six hat-trick weekends to open the campaign but was forced to work hard in the Tissot Superpole Race before controlling the pace in Race 2 to lead home his Aruba.it Racing – Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona by just under one second.
Race 2 Highlights
Starting from pole position Bulega took the holeshot from Lecuona into Turn 1. The championship leader officially led every lap but Lecuona did briefly attack and take the lead at Turn 16 on the opening lap but Bulega came back at him and led across the line. The biggest margin between the teammates was 1.5s with Bulega setting the fastest lap at one third distance.
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Starting from the outside of the front row Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) spent the full 18 lap duration in third position ahead of his brother Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). Axel Bassani, aboard the second bimota, moved into fifth position on Lap 11 ahead of Alberto Surra. The Motocorsa Racing rider faded in the final laps and dropped to eighth position.
Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) delivered a gutsy ride to finish in seventh position. The Spaniard, who underwent surgery for a fractured heel less than two weeks ago, battled with Garrett Gerloff before ceding the position to the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team rider.
A Turn 1 crash on the opening lap saw Lorenzo Baldassarri and Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) out of proceedings immediately. It was a costly crash for Baldassarri in his fight for third in the standings and it was the same for Yari Montella. The Barni Spark Racing Team rider crashed at Turn 9 at half distance.
Championship Highlights
- Bulega’s sixth hat-trick of the campaign has allowed him to extend his title lead over Lecuona to 108 points. Sam Lowes was the big mover with his trio of podium finishes promoting him from fifth in the standings to third.
- Having locked out the podium positions Ducati extended their Manufacturer Standings lead to 212 points from bimota.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It was very important to win here. I’m really happy because the weekend was difficult with these high temperatures. It was not easy to ride the bike without making mistakes. I want to thank my team because we have an incredible relationship. We are fast at every track, even at circuits where my riding style doesn’t suit the circuit perfectly, and we are still able to be competitive. We are in a fantastic moment with 22 victories in a row but now we don’t have to think about the past because we have to think about the next one.”
P2 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It wasn’t bad and we were P2 all weekend. That is really positive for us. During Race 2 I made some mistakes and lost a lot of time at the beginning but when I found my rhythm I was fast with the used tyre. I felt comfortable and I felt faster but, again, I made a small mistake in Turn 7 and I went wide and lost around three tenths in one lap. That made the difference. In any case, I need to be happy. Every time the gap to Nicolo gets smaller and every time I get closer. Every time we are able to fight more.”
P3 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team)
“To get three podiums on the weekend is a really nice reward for the team and myself because we have two tough weekends before this. I really enjoyed the Superpole Race because we had a big fight throughout it. I went with a soft tyre and there was a good battle with Iker but Bulega was really fast at the end. I think it was still a nice race to watch for everybody. I led one lap and I was able to fight so that’s nice. I’m really looking forward to the next race we’ve tested in Misano and can’t wait to get there.”
Race 2 Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.786s
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +9.506s
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +12.413s
5. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +14.351s
6. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) +16.317s
Championship standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 372 points
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 264
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team 142
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 132
5. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)) 131
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) 117
Superpole Race Highlights
While his rivals opted for the softer SCX Pirelli rear tyre Bulega opted for the harder SCO tyre in the ten lap Tissot Superpole Race. During the opening laps Bulega dropped outside of the podium positions as his rivals took advantage of their softer rubber to attack. In fifth position at one point on Lap 4 but he overtook Baldassarri and Surra to move into the podium positions and then the Ducati man attacked for the race win.
Ultimately, the battle for the win was only settled on the final lap. Lecuona led seven laps and Sam Lowes led one but with the top five riders within a second of each other for much of the race it was a closely fought scrap. Bulega took the lead on Lap 8 but Lecuona answered back as the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati teammates went bar to bar throughout. Lecuona ended that lap in front but with two laps remaining Bulega hit the front and then opened a small gap. A new lap record on the final lap wrapped up his 37th WorldSBK victory.
Alberto Surra started from the front row and finished a career best fourth ahead of the bimota duo of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani.
Lorenzo Baldassarri crashed on the penultimate lap at Turn 5 with the Team GoEleven rider crashing out of podium contention.
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.594s
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +1.240s
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