BULEGA WINS SUPERBIKE TITLE, BREAKS RECORDS BEFORE MOTOGP MOVE

Nicolo Bulega secured the World Superbike title at his home round in Italy, completing a remarkable season before his planned move to MotoGP with VR46 in 2027.

Bulega arrived with a 138-point advantage over Ducati team-mate Iker Lecuona. The Spaniard won all three races of the weekend, while Bulega took second each time—enough to clinch the championship with two rounds and six races still to come. Before the weekend, Bulega had won 26 of 27 races, a 96.3% strike rate.

The title caps a dominant campaign. Bulega has won 26 of the 30 races against Lecuona, while Ducati’s factory team has remained unbeaten in the series this season. Ducati machinery has also delivered 83 podium finishes from 90 opportunities. Bulega’s success has rewritten the record books: he strung together 25 consecutive wins, nearly doubling Toprak Razgatlioglu’s previous record of 13, and has stood on the podium in 43 races in a row, surpassing the former mark of 25 shared by Razgatlioglu and Colin Edwards. His eight hat-tricks in a single season have also beaten Alvaro Bautista’s record of six. Bulega has recorded 10 consecutive pole positions, one more than Jonathan Rea’s previous best, and 25 fastest laps in a season, topping Bautista’s 23.

There are still records in reach during the final two rounds. Bulega needs one more win to equal Bautista’s single-season record of 27 victories, four more podiums to match Rea’s 34 in 2019, and poles at both remaining rounds to tie Ben Spies’ 2009 total of 11. He and Razgatlioglu are level on 11 career hat-tricks; one more would put Bulega ahead. He leaves WorldSBK with 46 career wins, sixth on the all-time list, behind Rea’s 119 and Razgatlioglu’s 78.

Ducati Corse general manager Luigi Dall’Igna praised both the champion and the wider team effort. “I’m really, really proud about Nicolo’s job this year, but also about all the people that work on this bike,” he told the official WorldSBK website, highlighting the trackside crews and staff in Borgo Panigale. He added that Bulega “won almost all the races” and that the bike had performed exceptionally well, with every team using it achieving strong results.

Bulega’s route to the premier class has been unusual. After winning the Moto3 Junior title, he struggled in the senior Grand Prix categories and changed disciplines. He went on to win the Supersport championship in 2023, then finished runner-up in each of his first two WorldSBK seasons before taking this year’s title.

Dall’Igna called the journey “not a normal path to go to MotoGP”, while also praising Bulega’s work developing Ducati’s 850cc machine for next season. The Italian has tested the prototype extensively, though he was recently injured during a private test. Dall’Igna said Bulega’s lap times at the circuits where he has tested were “really good” and that he believed the rider “can do quite well”. The Valencia test should provide a clearer indication of his prospects.

Bulega’s dominance has come on a Ducati that has almost monopolised the podium, but he has also decisively beaten his team-mates. His MotoGP move will offer a chance to show what he can do at the highest level beyond WorldSBK.

Bulega’s title prompted congratulations from former rival Toprak Razgatlioglu, who commented on his Instagram post: “Congratulations champ.” Jonathan Rea wrote: “Congratulations champ, enjoy after all your hard work!” VR46 also celebrated, saying Bulega “really deserved it” and praising Ducati and Aruba Racing. Bulega is expected to partner Fermin Aldeguer at VR46 in 2027, with Franco Morbidelli expected to make way.