Superbike: Lecuona's life has changed and will change again—an announcement is coming

The Spaniard broke the ice during the SBK weekend at Donington: great joy, then also some regret for the crash in the Superpole Race.

Iker Lecuona finally managed to defeat Nicolò Bulega and take his first victory in the Superbike World Championship. It happened in Race 1 at Donington Park after a fantastic performance and a decidedly heated duel with his teammate, who after 25 wins in a row was beaten and thus saw his record streak come to an end.

It was a huge satisfaction for the Spaniard, also because the defeats against Bulega had piled up and created a bit of frustration. Breaking the taboo was the perfect way to celebrate the recent birth of his daughter, Luna.

There was a lot of curiosity to see if Lecuona would be able to complete the treble, but in the Superpole Race he crashed on lap two while leading. That crash not only forced him to retire (his first in the 2026 Superbike season) and score 0 points, it also condemned him to start from the tenth slot on the grid in Race 2. And, launching from the fourth row, he couldn’t do better than second place in the final race of the weekend at Donington Park. He did well to come back through the field, but there was no catching Bulega, who was already escaping.

The Aruba Ducati rider admitted he made a mistake at Turn 12; overconfidence caused an easily avoidable fall: "Sometimes, when you have a lot of confidence and ride in a relaxed way, you make small mistakes. I was maybe 2 km/h faster on corner entry - reports Speedweek - and then the front wheel slipped. It was my mistake and I have to learn from it. When I got back to the box I explained to my team that I knew why I had crashed, which makes it easier to fix the problem. It was almost a perfect weekend for me, the best so far."

Aside from the mistake that prevented him from trying to win Sunday’s two races as well, Saturday’s victory gave Lecuona a big confidence boost. Further confirmation, if it were needed, of how signing with the Aruba Ducati team saved his career: "My life has completely changed since I became part of this family," the Spaniard confirmed. "I haven’t had crashes, nor injuries. And when I do crash, they’re minor and not dangerous because I don’t have to ride over the limit. I’m fast, I’m learning, and I’m having fun. When I’m at home, I want to train and work hard. In the past, sometimes I didn’t have the energy to do it. Now it’s different."

Compared to the difficult four-year stint at Honda, everything has changed. He can finally show his full potential, and that helps him stay constantly motivated both when working at home and when facing race weekends. With the Panigale V4 R he has the feel and speed he didn’t have with the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, and he can aim for big results. Before, he had to sweat just to stay in the top 10, even taking risks.

His performance in the 2026 Superbike World Championship has convinced everyone, and the Aruba Ducati team will confirm him for 2027: "I’m close to an announcement. We could do something soon. The goal is to continue together." There is no longer any doubt about the contract renewal.

With Bulega moving to MotoGP next year, Lecuona will become the new leader of the Aruba Ducati garage. That also means becoming the main candidate for the Superbike world title and dealing with more pressure. In 2026 the pressure is all on his teammate, “condemned” to win without Toprak Razgatlioglu on the grid and with a new, dominant Panigale V4 R. In 2027 it will be the Spaniard’s turn to start as the favorite for the world crown. He will need to handle a different status from the one he has now.

It remains to be seen who his teammate will be. Franco Morbidelli has often been mentioned, as he is leaving the Pertamina VR46 team and MotoGP, but a final decision does not seem to have been made. Moreover, we’ll have to see whether there will be major changes in the Superbike World Championship, in addition to the arrival of Michelin as the new sole tire supplier and the introduction of Brembo carbon-ceramic brake discs for all teams. Discussions on the technical regulations are always open, even if Ducati doesn’t want to hand big gifts to the competition.

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