Nicolò Bulega has been crowned the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion after securing the title at the Cremona Circuit in Italy, completing a remarkable season with two rounds of the championship still remaining. Press: WorldSBK

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider sealed the championship with second place in Race 2 at the EICMA Italian Round, with teammate Iker Lecuona taking his third victory of the weekend. Bulega only needed to finish inside the top five to secure the title and duly delivered under the pressure of his home crowd.

Bulega has produced one of the most dominant campaigns in WorldSBK history aboard Ducati’s new Panigale V4 R. He has taken 26 victories from the opening 30 races and sits on 602 championship points, 133 clear of Lecuona in second. He has also stood on the podium in every race of the season, missing the top step only three times.

The championship makes Bulega the first rider in history to win both the WorldSSP and WorldSBK titles. He previously claimed the World Supersport crown with Ducati in 2023 after winning 16 of the 24 races that season.

 

 

Bulega also becomes only the second Italian rider to win the WorldSBK Riders’ Championship, following Max Biaggi’s 2010 and 2012 titles. His success ends a 14-year wait for an Italian rider to return to the top of the production-based world championship.

While the championship was the ultimate prize, Bulega’s 2026 campaign has also rewritten a number of WorldSBK records. His run of 25 consecutive race victories was unprecedented, while he also established new benchmarks for consecutive podiums, consecutive poles, wins to start a season, fastest laps and hat-tricks in a single campaign. His podium streak has reached 43 consecutive races, surpassing the previous record of 25.

 

 

Bulega’s 26 victories also leave him just one win short of the outright record for most race wins in a single WorldSBK season, currently held by Alvaro Bautista with 27 in 2023. With the Estoril and Jerez rounds still to come, Bulega has the opportunity to add to his already extraordinary tally.

The title was secured at a circuit where Bulega’s teammate Lecuona dominated proceedings. The Spaniard won all three WorldSBK races at Cremona, completing a hat-trick, while Bulega recorded three second-place finishes across the weekend. Despite missing out on victory, those results were enough to secure the championship with six races remaining.

Bulega first established himself on the international stage by winning the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship in 2015 before progressing through the Moto3 and Moto2 categories. He moved into WorldSSP in 2022 with Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP and quickly became a championship contender. After finishing fourth in his first season, Bulega dominated the 2023 campaign, winning 16 races and securing his first World Championship.

His promotion to WorldSBK in 2024 produced an immediate impact. Bulega won his WorldSBK debut race at Phillip Island and went on to claim six victories and 24 podiums during his rookie season, finishing runner-up in the championship. He repeated that second-place finish in 2025, increasing his tally to 14 victories and 32 podiums across the 36-race season. In 2026, the Italian finally went one step further, converting his extraordinary pace and consistency into his first WorldSBK crown.

The championship also represents a major achievement for Ducati and its latest Panigale V4 R. Bulega’s campaign has demonstrated the competitiveness of the new machine, with Ducati completing a highly successful season across the WorldSBK championship.

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said Bulega’s performance had exceeded even the manufacturer’s expectations. “We feel very proud. It’s been very special, because not only did Nicolo win the Championship, but how he dominated. We had a new bike this year, so we expected improved performance, but the new Panigale has been very strong.”

 

 

Bulega himself described the title as particularly special given the location and his history with the championship paddock. “To win here in Cremona is fantastic. In Italy, with Ducati, I’m the first Italian to win the title on a Ducati; and doing it in front of all the people who support me is fantastic.”

Nicolo Bulega.

The achievement also carries a strong personal connection for Bulega, who recalled visiting the World Supersport paddock as a child while his father had a team competing in the championship. He remembers watching riders including Troy Bayliss, Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser before eventually returning to the same paddock as a World Champion himself.

He remembers watching riders including Troy Bayliss, Noriyuki Haga and Troy Corser before eventually returning to the same paddock as a World Champion himself.

Bulega’s WorldSBK career will now enter a new chapter, with the Italian set to move into MotoGP for 2027. Ducati has confirmed that the WorldSBK champion will return to the MotoGP paddock, giving Bulega the opportunity to continue his career progression in the premier class after establishing himself as the dominant force in production-based motorcycle racing during 2026.

 

 

For now, however, Bulega can celebrate a championship that completes an extraordinary progression from junior world champion, to WorldSSP champion and now WorldSBK champion – while becoming the first rider to achieve both of the latter two titles.

 

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