Ducati’s Championship Glory at Donington Park | Bulega bounced back from his first defeat of the 2026 season to complete a Sunday double at Donington, sealing Ducati’s Manufacturers’ Championship and extending his lead in the WorldSBK title race. Photos: WorldSBK Press.

After opening the season with an astonishing 25 consecutive victories, the Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider saw teammate Iker Lecuona end the streak in Saturday’s Race 1. It was a deserved breakthrough for the Spaniard, who had spent much of the opening half of the season shadowing Bulega without quite finding the final piece of the puzzle. Their race-long duel was one of the highlights of the season and offered a glimpse of just how evenly matched the factory Ducati pair have become.

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If Race 1 belonged to Lecuona, however, Sunday was all about Bulega. The championship leader responded in emphatic fashion by claiming both the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2, ensuring Ducati wrapped up both the Teams’ Championship and the Manufacturers’ Championship with four rounds still remaining. It was another remarkable milestone in what is rapidly becoming one of the most dominant campaigns in WorldSBK history.

The ten-lap Superpole Race delivered plenty of drama. Lecuona launched brilliantly to claim the holeshot and quickly built almost a one-second advantage before disaster struck on Lap 2. Carrying too much speed into Goddards, the Spaniard lost the front and crashed out of the lead, handing the initiative to Barni Spark Racing’s Yari Montella.

Montella led the next three laps and looked on course for a breakthrough victory before Bulega began to apply pressure. The Italian made his decisive move at the Melbourne Loop on Lap 5 before controlling the closing stages to secure victory and, with it, the 2026 Teams’ Championship for Aruba.it Racing Ducati. Montella claimed another runner-up finish, while Sam Lowes delighted the home crowd with third after setting a new race lap record. Lecuona’s crash forced him to start Race 2 from tenth on the grid, but the Spaniard produced one of the rides of the season to slice his way through the field.

Passing Garrett Gerloff on the opening lap before dispatching Axel Bassani, Tommy Bridewell and Alex Lowes in quick succession, Lecuona was relentless. A pair of decisive overtakes on Sam Lowes and Montella at Goddards with nine laps remaining elevated him into second place, but by then Bulega had already established a race-winning advantage.

Starting from the middle of the front row, Montella had briefly looked capable of challenging Bulega after making another superb start. He shadowed the championship leader during the opening laps before the factory Ducati rider gradually stretched away, eventually taking the chequered flag more than four seconds clear to complete another dominant Sunday.

Montella’s third-place finish completed a remarkable hat-trick of podiums for the weekend and extended his run to six consecutive podium finishes, firmly establishing the Italian as the championship’s clear third force.

Behind the podium battle, Bimota continued its encouraging progress. Axel Bassani emerged victorious from a race-long scrap with teammate Alex Lowes and Kawasaki’s Garrett Gerloff, making a decisive move three laps from home to secure fourth. Gerloff again demonstrated the Kawasaki ZX-10RR’s growing competitiveness in sixth, while Sam Lowes crossed the line seventh after another solid weekend.Further back, Lorenzo Baldassarri capitalised on a late mistake from Xavi Vierge to snatch eighth position with just two laps remaining.Bulega admitted Saturday’s defeat had provided extra motivation.

“It was a very nice day,” he said. “Yesterday I was disappointed because I didn’t ride very well and Iker deserved to win. We worked hard overnight to improve the bike and today I could ride much more like I wanted. Donington isn’t naturally one of my strongest circuits, especially the final sectors, so winning here is very special.”

Lecuona, despite missing out on victory on Sunday, was equally satisfied after his remarkable recovery.

“My mistake in the Superpole Race meant I had to start from tenth, but the recovery was really enjoyable. Lap by lap I found my rhythm and worked my way through the field. Once I reached second I knew Nicolo would be difficult to catch because we’d had similar pace all weekend.”

The statistics after Donington underline Ducati’s extraordinary campaign. The Italian manufacturer has won all 24 races contested in 2026, sealing the Manufacturers’ Championship with four rounds still remaining. Aruba.it Racing Ducati also wrapped up the Teams’ Championship, while Bulega extended his championship lead to 133 points over Lecuona heading into the summer break.

Although the title fight appears increasingly one-sided, the battle behind Bulega remains fiercely contested. Montella’s consistency has strengthened his grip on third overall, while Alex Lowes, Sam Lowes and Axel Bassani continue to fight over the remaining top-five positions.

With four rounds left, the question is no longer whether Ducati will dominate 2026—they already have. Instead, attention now turns to whether anyone can prevent Bulega from completing one of the greatest individual seasons the World Superbike Championship has ever seen.

Full results here…

WorldSBK Championship – Top 10

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 491 pts
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 358
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) – 211
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) – 182
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) – 177
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) – 153
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) – 140
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) – 119
Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) – 111
Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) – 97

WorldSSP Championship – Top 10

Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) – 291 pts
Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory) – 209
Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) – 195
Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – 178
Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) – 165
Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) – 139
Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) – 131
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) – 118
Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) – 106
Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) – 101

Championship Outlook

The championship heads into its summer break with Bulega holding a 133-point advantage and Ducati having already secured both the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ Championships. While the riders’ title appears firmly in Bulega’s grasp, the fight for the remaining podium positions remains one of the most competitive stories of the 2026 season.

How Did the Aussies Go?

Australian riders endured a mixed weekend at Donington Park. Remy Gardner battled hard aboard the GYTR GRT Yamaha but remained outside the leading group as Ducati’s superiority continued. In World Supersport, Oli Bayliss continued to bank valuable championship points for PTR Triumph during his rookie campaign, while the home victory for teammate Tom Booth-Amos highlighted the pace Bayliss is continuing to build towards. The summer break now provides an opportunity for the Australians to regroup before the championship resumes for its final four rounds.

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