SBK Cremona: Bulega comes alive, but Lecuona takes pole

It was a heart-stopping Superpole, but when the dust settled, everything returned to normal: Nicolò Bulega rose from a troubled practice and grabbed the front row. The pole, however, went to a rampant Iker Lecuona, with the record shattered: 1'27"253.

It’s the Spaniard’s second career pole, after inaugurating his tally in 2022 at Barcelona with Honda. In this Cremona weekend, Iker Lecuona looked in dazzling form, reeling off a sensational pace. Bulega wants to celebrate the World Championship from the top step of the podium, but against such a rival he’ll have to take plenty of risks.

Lining up on the front row with the two factory Ducati roosters will be a formidable Alberto Surra. Making his World Championship debut and after just nine rounds contested, the Motocorsa youngster is ready to climb the podium for the first time. “It’ll take a couple of years,” his mentor Lorenzo Mauri, owner of the Lecco-based team, kept saying until recently. But Surra is ready to fast-track the timeline. Qualifying was quite turbulent, with laps deleted (including Bulega’s first attempt) and numerous crashes. But at the checkered flag, here came the inevitable Ducati train again, with six Panigale V4s ahead of everyone: on the second row, in fact, are Sam Lowes, Yari Montella, and Lorenzo Baldassarri, rumored for a 2027 renewal with Go Eleven.

Kicking off the series of spills was Jake Dixon, who had impressed in practice (with a qualifying tire...) but when it mattered, threw it all away. On his second run, with the CBR-RR patched up at record speed by Honda’s technicians, he stalled in 18th position, behind teammate Somkiat Chantra. On the long list of disappointed riders, the standout name is Danilo Petrucci, who here in Cremona two years ago with Barni Ducati won all three races. Now, at the end of his stint with BMW and after a serious injury during the summer phase of the championship, he’s vanished from the radar: 19th. Also down without consequences were Andrea Locatelli, Alex Lowes, and Mattia Rato.

Nicolò Bulega would celebrate the world title at the end of Race 1 if he manages to gain a further 15 points on Iker Lecuona. For example: if he wins, with his direct rival finishing sixth or lower. Remember that after Cremona there are two rounds left: at Estoril (Portugal) on October 10–11 and the following week at Jerez (Spain).

Photo: Dani Guazzetti

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