Bulega Makes History  | Nicolo Bulega rewrote the WorldSBK record books once again in Hungary, claiming a fourth consecutive hat-trick to extend Ducati’s remarkable unbeaten start to the 2026 championship at Balaton Park. Photos: WorldSBK Press

Nicolo Bulega’s extraordinary start to the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continued unabated at the inaugural Hungarian round, with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider becoming the first rider in WorldSBK history to begin a season with 12 straight victories.

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From setting the record for consecutive race wins at Assen, the Italian raised the bar again at Balaton Park, completing another flawless weekend with victories in Race 1, the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2. Four rounds into the season, Bulega has now collected every available championship point, leaving the rest of the field searching for answers.

Race 2 followed a now familiar pattern. Starting from pole position alongside Aruba.it Racing teammate Iker Lecuona, Bulega launched cleanly into Turn 1 and immediately took control of the race. While Lecuona remained glued to the championship leader’s rear wheel through the opening half of the 21-lap contest, Bulega gradually increased the pace over the closing laps, eventually crossing the line 2.5 seconds clear to record his 16th consecutive WorldSBK victory.

The result also marked the ninth straight one-two finish for the Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad, underlining not only Bulega’s remarkable form but also the consistency of Lecuona, who once again maximised his points despite battling illness throughout the weekend.

“I struggled a lot on Friday because I was sick,” Lecuona admitted after the race. “I felt I had the performance to stay with Nicolo early on, but physically I just couldn’t maintain the pace over the closing laps. At that point it was important to be smart and bring home another strong result.”

Behind the factory Ducati pairing, Yari Montella delivered one of his strongest performances of the season. Starting fifth on the grid, the Barni Spark Racing rider emerged from a frantic opening lap in third position before producing an accomplished ride to withstand late pressure from Lorenzo Baldassarri. Despite suffering significant rear tyre degradation in the closing stages, Montella refused to crack, securing his second podium of the year.

Baldassarri eventually settled for fourth after an eventful afternoon that included early contact with Alvaro Bautista, while Garrett Gerloff delivered an encouraging fifth-place finish for Kawasaki after working his way through the field. Sam Lowes continued his consistent campaign by finishing sixth, while Alberto Surra capped off an impressive weekend with another top-eight result.

Earlier in the day, the Tissot Superpole Race was interrupted immediately following a multi-rider accident at Turn 5. The incident ended the weekend for BMW’s Miguel Oliveira, who was diagnosed with concussion and a left shoulder injury after contact with Andrea Locatelli. Following the restart, however, normal service resumed as Bulega and Lecuona established themselves at the front, with Lorenzo Baldassarri completing another all-Ducati podium.

Balaton Park may have presented one of Bulega’s toughest circuits of the year on paper, but the championship leader believed it made the weekend even more rewarding.

“This has been an amazing weekend,” Bulega said. “This is probably the most difficult track of the season for my riding style, so winning all three races here means even more. I knew coming into the weekend that if I could be competitive here it would be important for the championship. To achieve it with Ducati, as an Italian rider on an Italian bike, makes it really special.”

Four rounds into the season, the numbers are becoming almost unbelievable. Bulega now leads the championship by 82 points over teammate Lecuona, while Ducati remains unbeaten after 12 races. Even more remarkably, the Italian manufacturer has amassed 248 manufacturers’ championship points, opening a staggering 140-point advantage over Bimota after the Kawasaki-backed squad endured a disastrous Sunday that saw Alex Lowes crash and Axel Bassani retire with technical problems.

With the championship approaching its midpoint, the question is no longer whether Bulega can win races—it is whether anyone can consistently challenge him. The combination of the Italian’s supreme confidence, Ducati’s relentless pace and the flawless execution of the Aruba.it Racing squad has produced one of the most dominant starts to a WorldSBK season the championship has ever witnessed.

Full results here…

WorldSBK Championship – Top 10

Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) – 248 pts
Iker Lecuona (Ducati) – 166
Sam Lowes (Ducati) – 99
Miguel Oliveira (BMW) – 85
Yari Montella (Ducati) – 82
Alex Lowes (Bimota) – 82
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Ducati)
Alvaro Bautista (Ducati)
Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki)
Axel Bassani (Bimota)

WorldSSP Championship – Top 10

Albert Arenas – 150 pts
Jaume Masia – 117
Valentin Debise – 97
Philipp Oettl – 89
Can Öncü – 88
Lucas Mahias – 65
Tom Booth-Amos
Roberto Garcia
Matteo Ferrari
Marcel Schrötter

How Did the Aussies Go?

It was a relatively quiet weekend for the Australian contingent. Oli Bayliss endured a difficult Hungarian Round in World Supersport and slipped outside the leading group in the championship after missing out on the front-running battle. In WorldSBK, Remy Gardner again fought hard aboard the Yamaha but was unable to feature among the leading finishers as Ducati’s overwhelming pace left little opportunity for the rest of the field. With several European circuits still to come, both Australians will be aiming to rebound in the coming rounds as the championship heads deeper into the season.

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