SBK Balaton: Bulega shatters Toprak's record, Lecuona furious

Nicolò Bulega has made it thirteen: that’s how many Superpoles he’s taken in his career, five in a row counting the four from this season plus the final one of 2025 at Jerez. The Balaton Park rollercoaster was expected to be tricky for the Superbike dominator, but the weekend is unfolding more or less like the others: there’s no contest for anyone.

In qualifying, the head-to-head with his teammate and rival Iker Lecuona evaporated amid the Spaniard’s shouts of disapproval. After his out lap he stormed back into the box insisting that “this Ducati isn’t the same as it was this morning.” The technicians changed the fork springs, the Spaniard went out at the last moment and in two attempts got no better than fifth. Bulega’s only rival will launch from the second row. Not the most comfortable spot on this tight, slow circuit. If he gets a good start, Bulega could have the fourteenth win all but sealed after three corners…

Nicolò pushed to 1'38"094, about three tenths under the previous record set by Toprak Razgatlioglu last year with BMW. The Turk then swept the weekend here, winning all three races by a margin. The championship leader will be joined on the front row by the superb Lorenzo Baldassarri, in his first year with Ducati Go Eleven and taking his first front row in the World Championship, and Yari Montella, who is in his second Superbike season with Barni Racing. The gap to the leader is notable: about seven tenths. Bulega is clearly playing a different game.

With his left wrist still sore from Saturday’s crash, Danilo Petrucci fell again, dropping to thirteenth on the grid. BMW takes comfort in Miguel Oliveira, who grabbed fourth on the grid; on equal machinery, however, the Portuguese rider was half a second slower over a single lap than his predecessor Toprak. The German armada that racked up wins last year can now hope to fight for the podium with Ducati’s privateers. Yamaha peeks back in with Andrea Locatelli: sixth fastest.

Now comes the reckoning: at 15:30 race 1 of this fourth round of the Superbike World Championship gets underway at Balaton Park in Hungary. Nicolò Bulega is on a thirteen-race winning streak and is on maximum points this season. Another triumph is on the cards.

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