Perfect Season Continues for Bulega and Ducati at Aragon | Nicolo Bulega reached the halfway point of the 2026 WorldSBK season in emphatic fashion, completing a sixth consecutive hat-trick as Ducati continued its extraordinary dominance at MotorLand Aragon. Photos: WorldSBK 

Six rounds into the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and Nicolo Bulega remains simply untouchable. The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider arrived at MotorLand Aragon unbeaten, and by Sunday afternoon he had extended one of the greatest winning streaks in WorldSBK history to 22 consecutive races, sweeping Race 1, the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2 to complete his sixth straight hat-trick of the season.

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If there was any consolation for the chasing pack, it was that Aragon arguably produced Bulega’s hardest-fought weekend yet. While the final results again showed the Italian standing atop the podium, teammate Iker Lecuona pushed him harder than anyone else has managed this season, particularly in Sunday’s thrilling Superpole Race where strategy and tyre choice created one of the closest contests of the year.

The weekend began in familiar fashion as Bulega claimed his sixth pole position of the campaign with a stunning lap record, heading another Ducati-dominated qualifying session. The Italian manufacturer filled five of the top six grid positions, while Garrett Gerloff continued Kawasaki’s recent resurgence by qualifying strongly after showing impressive pace throughout practice.

Race 1 reinforced Ducati’s authority but was anything but straightforward. Bulega converted pole into the early lead before building a small advantage over Lecuona and Sam Lowes. Despite relentless pressure from his teammate throughout the 18-lap contest, Bulega never relinquished control, managing his pace perfectly to secure another victory. Lecuona finished just over a second adrift after shadowing the championship leader for the entire race, while Sam Lowes completed an all-Ducati podium with another measured ride for the Marc VDS squad. Alex Lowes claimed fourth for Bimota ahead of Tommy Bridewell, giving the British rider one of his strongest finishes of the season.

Sunday morning’s ten-lap Superpole Race delivered the highlight of the weekend. While most of the leading riders opted for Pirelli’s softer SCX rear tyre, Bulega gambled on the harder SC0 compound, a decision that initially appeared to backfire. As rivals took advantage of superior early grip, the championship leader slipped as low as fifth before gradually finding his rhythm.

Lecuona led seven laps and Sam Lowes even spent a lap at the front as five riders ran covered by less than a second. Once Bulega’s harder tyre reached optimum operating temperature, however, the complexion of the race changed dramatically. Picking off Lorenzo Baldassarri and Alberto Surra before reeling in the leaders, Bulega traded the lead repeatedly with Lecuona over the closing laps before sealing victory with a new lap record on the final tour.

It was another demonstration of the Italian’s race intelligence as much as his outright speed.

Race 2 followed a more familiar script. Starting from pole position, Bulega grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1 before immediately coming under attack from Lecuona. The Spaniard briefly edged ahead through Turn 16 on the opening lap, but Bulega calmly reclaimed the position before gradually edging away over the remaining laps. The pair remained comfortably clear of the field, eventually crossing the line separated by less than a second.

Behind them, Sam Lowes completed a perfect weekend with a third consecutive podium finish. The result vaulted the Briton from fifth to third in the championship standings and rewarded Marc VDS after two difficult rounds.

The battle behind the podium was equally entertaining. Alex Lowes led Bimota’s charge in fourth ahead of teammate Axel Bassani, while Garrett Gerloff continued Kawasaki’s encouraging upward trend with sixth place. Alvaro Bautista produced one of the rides of the weekend, overcoming surgery for a fractured heel less than two weeks earlier to finish seventh. By contrast, Lorenzo Baldassarri and Xavi Vierge were eliminated in a Turn 1 incident, while Yari Montella crashed out at half distance, both riders surrendering valuable championship points.

“It’s very important to win here,” Bulega said after claiming victory number 22 in succession. “The weekend was difficult with these high temperatures and it wasn’t easy to ride without making mistakes. We have an incredible relationship within the team and we’re fast at every circuit, even tracks that don’t naturally suit my riding style.”

Lecuona once again acknowledged he is edging closer to his teammate.

“Every race the gap gets smaller and every race we’re able to fight a little more,” he said. “I’m disappointed not to win, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

At the halfway mark of the season, the statistics paint an extraordinary picture. Bulega now leads the championship by 108 points, Ducati has established a commanding manufacturers’ advantage, and the Panigale V4 R continues to set the benchmark at virtually every circuit. While the battle behind the championship leader remains fiercely competitive, Bulega’s relentless consistency is rapidly turning the 2026 title chase into one of the most dominant campaigns the series has ever witnessed.

Full results here…

WorldSBK Championship – Top 10

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 372 pts
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) – 264
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) – 142
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) – 132
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) – 131
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) – 117
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team)
Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team)
Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing)

WorldSSP Championship – Top 10

Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) – 206 pts
Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) – 166
Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory) – 163
Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – 137
Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) – 121
Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) – 101
Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha)
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha)
Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team)
Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing)

World Sportbike Championship – Top 10

David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) – 126 pts
Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) – 113
Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) – 109
Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) – 90
Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) – 90
Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) – 80
Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse)
Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph)
Elia Bartolini (CM Triumph Factory Racing)
Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph)

Championship Outlook

With the championship now at its halfway point, Bulega’s advantage has grown to more than 100 points and Ducati’s dominance shows little sign of slowing. The fight for second and third in the standings remains intense, with Lecuona, Sam Lowes, Alex Lowes and Montella all firmly in the hunt, but unless the chasing pack can halt Bulega’s remarkable momentum soon, the Italian is rapidly closing in on a maiden WorldSBK crown.

How Did the Aussies Go?

Australia’s Remy Gardner continued to fight hard aboard the Pata Maxus Yamaha but was unable to challenge the leading group as Ducati’s pace again proved unmatched. In World Supersport, Oli Bayliss endured a mixed weekend before bouncing back with another points finish to continue building confidence in his first full campaign with PTR Triumph. Although podiums remained elusive, both Australians continue to gather valuable championship points as the series heads next to Misano.

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