SBK Misano: Bulega's eighth straight Superpole, ties legend Jonathan Rea

In the absence of real rivals, Nicolò Bulega is challenging himself and the heroes of the past. At Misano he kicked things off by signing his eighth pole in a row—every one this year plus Jerez at the tail end of the previous season.

With this incredible performance he draws level with Jonathan Rea, who strung together the same run of eight consecutive Superpoles in 2021, though that year he ran into a sublime Toprak Razgatlioglu on the road to the World title. Nicolò and Ducati won’t have that problem; the points lead over second-placed Iker Lecuona is already enormous. And it could grow even larger across Misano’s three races. Bulega has never won here in his previous two campaigns (2024–25), but this time he could feast.

The juggernaut opened his hunt for the outright record with an impressive 1'31"784, but it wasn’t enough to better his 2025 benchmark. So he went back out with even greater determination, lowering the bar to 1'31"342. And that is enough for the new dry-lap record at the MWC. There’s no real battle in this year’s Superbike, but the feats the number 11 is pulling off are a sight to behold.

Iker Lecuona did what he could, limiting the deficit to just 227 thousandths. Seventh place in MotoGP at Balaton Park just six days ago gave his self-belief a boost, but in Superbike trim he’s up against a Bulega in superstar form. The two factory Ducatis will be joined on the front row by Alex Lowes’ Bimota, fresh off a two-year extension. The engine is Kawasaki, but the brand’s identity calls home just a stone’s throw from the circuit: this third place is a great story. The second row, meanwhile, will be all Ducati, with the eager Montella, Baldassarri, and Surra vying for the role of Italy’s next big thing. It’s going to be a great fight.

On Saturday, June 13, Race 1 will start at 15:30, at the end of the World program. On Sunday, June 14, Race 2 is moved up to 14:00 to avoid overlapping with F1’s Spanish GP in Catalonia. Race distance: 21 laps. Remember that Sunday at 11:00 there’s the Superpole Race show over 10 laps.

Photo: Mauro Stanzani

Corsedimoto on Instagram: subscribe here to our news channel