SBK Magny-Cours: Bulega wins twice, rivals crushed in Race 1

Magny Cours was a trap: Race 1 was riddled with crashes, including Tommy Bridwell’s terrifying flight, with the Ducati literally shattered against the barrier. But after two starts and chills down the spine, the ending was the same as always: Nicolò Bulega knows no obstacles.

There was no doubt in light of the precedents, namely 23 wins in this year’s 24 races, plus four at the end of last season. The future MotoGP rider showed up by nailing his ninth pole out of nine, and above all by demolishing Toprak Razgatlioglu’s previous absolute record. His wingman Iker Lecuona tried, as always, but only for a couple of laps. When the group stretches out and Nicolò switches to destruction mode, for the others the curtain drops hard.

The first part of the race was already largely settled when Tommy Bridewell, relegated to the last spot on the grid for failing to respect yellow flags in practice, went off approaching the Lycée corner. It’s the exact spot where two years ago Toprak Razgatlioglu had one of his rare slips with the BMW, skimming across the grass on his back until he hit the barrier in a crash that could have had dire consequences. This time the Briton got back up with a few scratches on his chin, while his Ducati was collected in pieces after hitting the barriers modified precisely after Toprak’s flight. Immediate red flag, but only to fix the air fences.

At the restart there were only twelve laps to cover; effectively it was a second Sprint added to Sunday’s. Lecuona had another chance but it vanished after just a couple of attempts. Bulega twice in a row trimmed the official lap record and broke away. Confident, precise, relentless. By now the phenom’s victories are no longer news in this Superbike that has become deadly boring.

Normally the rivals finish embarrassingly far back; this time many were thrown out, painting an even more grotesque picture: this Ducati, in this Superbike, is racing on its own. Sam Lowes completed the podium with the two factory Reds, which once again placed four riders ahead of everyone, with Yari Montella closing the train. Only fourteen reached the finish, with Danilo Petrucci the last of the riders who didn’t fall, and Alvaro Bautista who did hit the deck and ended this procession on a sour note.

Due to the clash with the Formula 1 Italian GP at Monza, the race schedule for Sunday, September 6, 2026, has changed. Superbike Race 2 will start at 14:00, still over a distance of 21 laps. The Superpole Race, as usual, starts at 11:00 over the short distance of 10 laps. The support race schedule has also been modified: Supersport is set for 12:40, while SportBike will close the day at 15:15. Remember that in three weeks the Superbike World Championship will come to Italy for the second time, stopping at the small Cremona circuit.

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