Bulega explains: why Lecuona's MotoGP breakthrough is a victory for WorldSBK

The Superbike dominator is ready for his home round, but he doesn’t want to put too much pressure on himself. Congrats to Lecuona for last weekend in MotoGP.

Nicolò Bulega has taken every pole position and every win in the six rounds of the 2026 SBK calendar, a total of six poles and eighteen victories. Adding in the results achieved at the end of last season, he’s up to seven poles and twenty-two wins in a row. Impressive numbers for the Aruba Ducati rider, who arrives in Misano Adriatico as the favorite for this weekend.

It’s inevitable to consider him the man to beat, even though Iker Lecuona is particularly motivated after performing well as Alex Marquez’s replacement at the MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park. After fifteen consecutive second places, he dreams of beating Bulegas right on his home turf. It could be a weekend of fiery duels between the two.

The Emilian rider can’t help but be thrilled to race in the region where he was born and on a track he knows very well: "I’m happy to be at Misano, especially after so many consecutive wins. We’re highly motivated to be fast here, too. It would be very nice to win at Misano as well, given that in past years I only managed second at best."

Bulega has never won in Misano Adriatico since racing in the Superbike World Championship; breaking the taboo wouldn’t displease him, though he isn’t obsessed with this goal: "I give myself a 10 for how it’s gone so far," he explains, "because I’ve won every race, and that’s a fantastic result. But the season is still long; there are still many races to go. I like some tracks more than others; we have to be ready everywhere. If I were to keep winning at Misano too, it would be wonderful, but there will also come a time when I finish second—it’s impossible to win every race. The most important thing is the championship."

Even though it’s his home round, the 2026 SBK dominator wants to avoid getting carried away by emotions: "I’m trying to treat it like a normal round. It’s true that emotionally you can get more involved and feel more pressure because there will be many fans and friends coming here to support me, but the approach to the weekend matters a lot, and I’ll try to approach it as if it were a normal weekend. Luckily, I’m a pretty cool-headed person and I can isolate myself fairly well."

Asked about Lecuona’s strong performances with BK8 Gresini’s Ducati MotoGP bike, Bulega had kind words for his current teammate: "He did a fantastic job and his result is positive for the Superbike World Championship and for all the riders who race here, because it shows that a good rider in this category is also a good rider in MotoGP. It was good to see the weekend he had. Congratulations to him. It also means I’m not racing alone and that I have a strong rival".

It’s inevitable to talk about his future as well, given that his move to MotoGP with the Pertamina VR46 team in 2027 is considered almost certain, but the Montecchio Emilia rider cannot provide specific details at this time: "I have some news, but I can’t say anything. Anyway, we’re working, and right now I feel support from Ducati. For me, it’s very important to feel them close, because I sense they still believe in me, even beyond Superbike, and that gives me a boost. It’s too early to say much, but I’ve always said that my dream is to go to MotoGP and I hope I can make it."

The 2026 SBK season is absolutely triumphant, with some records already set and others within reach. For this weekend at Misano Adriatico, three milestones are within grasp:

- he needs just one more podium to become the Italian rider with the most podiums in Superbike history, namely Marco Melandri. Melandri stands at 75, sharing eleventh place all-time with Colin Edwards.

- his 18 straight wins this season also represent the third-best tally ever in terms of victories in a single season. The record is 27, set by Bautista in 2023, while Razgatlioglu’s 21 wins in 2025 could be matched by Nicolò this weekend.

- Bulega is coming off his best run of pole positions, 7 (from Jerez 2025 to Aragon 2026). A pole at Misano would allow him to tie the absolute record set by Jonathan Rea in 2021: 8 poles in a row from Aragon to Magny-Cours.