Donington Park, United Kingdom
Eighth round of the 2026 Superbike World Championship, the first weekend where the win count for Nicolò Bulega comes to a halt — and in that same weekend the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider sets a new all-time Superpole record and hands the Borgo Panigale manufacturer both championship trophies of the class. At Donington Park, for the Prosecco DOC UK Round, the season's recent history is rewritten on multiple fronts.
In Superpole Bulega set a 1'24.410, gapping team-mate Iker Lecuona by 52 thousandths. All-Ducati front row with Yari Montella (Barni Spark) third — Ducati's first Donington pole since 2014. And above all, for Nicolò this is the ninth consecutive pole: a result that breaks Jonathan Rea's all-time WorldSBK consecutive poles record. Eight from eight in 2026.
In Race 1 the script changed. Lecuona took the lead at turn 1 and never let go over the full 23 laps. Bulega tried to overtake practically everywhere: the Old Hairpin on lap 3, turn 11 on lap 5, the Craner Curves on lap 16, the Foggy Esses on lap 21, the Melbourne Loop on laps 22 and 23. The Spaniard shut the door every time, holding on despite a small slide at Melbourne Hairpin on lap 20. Flag with Lecuona in front: his first win of the season, and Bulega's 25-race winning streak comes to an end. First defeat of 2026 after 21 wins in a row.
"Congratulations to Iker, he deserved this victory. He and his team simply did better than us", said Bulega, adding that he had been at 90% while Lecuona was at 100%, especially on the drive out of the two hairpins in the final sector.
The response came on Sunday. In the Superpole Race Lecuona again grabbed the lead, but crashed at turn 12 on lap 2 (later retiring for good at the end of lap 7). Bulega passed Montella at turn 11 on lap 5, took the lead and went on to seal his first career Donington win by 1.581 seconds over the Barni rider. Third Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS) in front of his home crowd. With this win, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati mathematically clinched the 2026 Teams' Championship.
In Race 2 Bulega left no doubts: launch from pole, lead into turn 1 and steady pace all the way to the flag. Behind him, Lecuona pulled off his own comeback: from tenth on the grid after his SPR crash, he moved up move by move — fourth on lap 6, third on lap 7, second on lap 16 with a decisive move at Goddards. Flag with Bulega 4.161 seconds ahead of Lecuona, Montella third at 6.850. With this victory, Ducati also clinched the 2026 Manufacturers' Championship, completing the class's double crown on the same weekend.
The weekend's numbers: 43rd career WorldSBK win for Nicolò, a milestone that takes him to sixth on the all-time list, level with Noriyuki Haga. The Race 2 podium is also Italy's 550th podium in WorldSBK history. For Montella it's his 11th podium of the season, his best-ever WSBK campaign; for Lecuona his 19th career podium.
Two wins from three, streak broken but immediately reclaimed, and for Ducati a weekend to frame with the double Manufacturers' and Teams' crown. The Riders' title is now only a matter of time; the championship moves on to the next round.
