SBK Donington: Even Bulega can lose—no-holds-barred battle among teammates

Ducati is running away with it in this particular Superbike season, but this time we had fun because the duel between the two factory riders was stellar. At Donington, Iker Lecuona, the eternal runner-up, held off attacks from Nicolò Bulega, who thus sees his winning streak end after a remarkable 25 victories in a row. For the former MotoGP rider from Spain, it’s his first Superbike win.

The Italian rider destined for MotoGP (factory Ducati with VR46) gave everything he had to stay unbeaten. After getting nabbed off the line by a lightning-starting Lecuona, he latched on like a shadow. Previously, almost always, the duel lasted a few laps, but this time Iker proved immovable. Bulega tried in the fast section, on entry to the chicane, and twice at the hairpin: four vehement attacks that would have toppled anyone. But Iker Lecuona wanted this victory so badly and each time he countered the line, preserving the lead. It was inevitable that the incredible winning streak would end sooner or later. Iker was formidable, showing that the seventh place in MotoGP with Gresini Ducati at Balaton Park was no fluke.

So far the World Championship within Aruba Ducati has run smooth as silk: a dazzling, unassailable technical supremacy, Bulega winning, and Lecuona playing the role of the fast wingman. But here in the UK the balance was broken, thanks to a heavy-braking circuit that allowed the Spaniard to raise the bar and close the gap. There are two races left this weekend; it’ll be interesting to see whether Nicolò sleeps soundly on it or comes back on track with even sharper fangs. Sunday is going to be fun...

This time the spectacle was excellent, but technically this Superbike season is increasingly grotesque. There were six Ducatis ahead of the rest, and Alberto Surra (sudden right-shoulder bursitis) and Tarran Mackenzie, who crashed hard on Friday, were missing. That is, two riders who almost certainly would have lengthened the Panigale V4 R train. With the new version featuring a double-sided swingarm and various other upgrades, Ducati has reached a stratospheric level, smashing lap references and catching all rivals on the back foot, increasingly relegating them to bit-part roles.

Ducati’s independents are holding a wild card, and the one playing it best is Yari Montella, on the podium again and the only one on track somehow able to withstand the onslaught of the Red Furies up front, losing just over six seconds at the end of 23 laps. Bimota, once again the best of the rest, banked a seventh place with Alex Lowes, who has always been super fast here, but still ended up 17 seconds back. Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda are nowhere to be seen, and even BMW has vanished—here, with Toprak Razgatlioglu, they used to thrash everyone. It feels like an eternity ago.

Superbike will go on break after the two final Donington showdowns, with schedules a bit different from usual: the Superpole Race (10 laps) will start at 12:10 CET, while Race 2 (23 laps) is set for 16:30, that is, after the conclusion of the German GP MotoGP at the Sachsenring. Great Britain closes the summer phase of the Championship: to see Bulega and company back in action we’ll have to wait until September 5–6 at Magny-Cours. Five rounds out of twelve overlapping with MotoGP, and a two-month break in the heart of the Motorsport season. It’s all a bit absurd, but apparently that’s how it goes...

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