Nicolo Bulega scored a dramatic Superpole race victory at the 2026 UK World Superbike Championship round at Donington Park, benefiting from a costly lead by Iker Lecuona on just the second lap. The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider produced a brilliant performance to claim victory after a tense battle and mid-race setbacks that left the field battling for the podium.
Iker Lecuona led in the early stages, but disaster struck as he crashed while leading, suddenly ending his charge and opening the door for his rivals. Yari Montella quickly got the lead for the Barney Spark Racing Ducati, but Bulega was relentless, holding off the Italian and making a decisive pass on lap five. Montella ultimately had to settle for second place, clearing Bulega by 1.581 seconds.
Sam Lowes performed brilliantly for the home crowd, taking his Mark VDS Racing Team Ducati to third place, 3.346 seconds behind the winner. Alex Lowes emerged as the top non-Ducati finisher, driving his Bimota to fourth place driven by a Kawasaki Racing Team machine, besting teammate Axel Bassani, who completed the top five.
Lorenzo Baldassari finished sixth for Team Go Eleven Ducati, while Superbike managed to finish seventh for Advocates Racing ahead of Tommy Bridwell. Yamaha’s top representative, Xavi Wirz, finished eighth for Pata Maxus Yamaha, while Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) and Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC) completed the top ten, with Gerloff securing the final points-paying position.
Further down the order, Alvaro Bautista (Barney Spark Racing Ducati) finished 11th, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) finished 12th, and Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha) finished 13th. Bahattin Sofuoglu, Remy Gardner and Mattia Rato filled positions 14 to 16 on the Yamaha. Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra brought home their Honda HRC machines in 17th and 18th respectively, while Danilo Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira had to struggle towards the rear on their BMWs.
Earlier in the day, Bulega also topped the warm-up session with a 1:25.052, once again ahead of Lecuona and Sam Lowes, setting the tone for his impressive performance on Sunday.
The Superpole race at Donington offered high drama and key changes, as Bulega’s opportunistic ride and Lecuona’s early exit defined the race narrative, adding another twist to the 2026 WorldSBK campaign.
