The Italian completed a clean sweep at Jerez, secured a record 32 victories in one season and now leaves WorldSBK for a full-time MotoGP seat with VR46 Ducati.
Nicolò Bulega could hardly have written a better final chapter to his WorldSBK career.
The newly crowned 2026 champion won all three races at the season finale in Jerez, ending his time in the production-based championship with 52 WorldSBK victories and one of the most dominant seasons the category has ever witnessed.
His final victory came in a rain-affected Race 2 at the Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto. Bulega crossed the line 4.696 seconds ahead of Aruba.it Racing–Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona, with Sam Lowes completing the podium after passing Álvaro Bautista on the final lap.
It was Bulega’s 32nd victory of the season, his 52nd in WorldSBK and the final race before his move to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team for the 2027 MotoGP season.
The result also moved Bulega level with three-time champion Troy Bayliss for fifth on WorldSBK’s all-time victory list.
A perfect farewell at Jerez
Bulega arrived in Spain with the championship already secured, but there was no sign of him easing into the off-season.
He first took his 11th pole position of 2026, matching Ben Spies’ record for the most poles achieved during a single WorldSBK campaign.
That qualifying result also completed an extraordinary season for Ducati: the Italian manufacturer claimed every WorldSBK pole position awarded in 2026, matching its own achievement from 1992.
Bulega then converted pole into victory in Saturday’s Race 1 before winning Sunday morning’s Superpole Race. That left Race 2 as his final appearance in the championship.
Lecuona initially took the holeshot, but Bulega reclaimed the lead at Turn 6 on the opening lap and gradually established an advantage at the front.
Rain began falling during the closing stages, introducing one final element of uncertainty. Bulega managed the conditions and completed the 20-lap race without surrendering the lead.
Behind him, Lecuona secured second place while Sam Lowes denied Bautista a farewell podium with a final-lap move. Bulega also recorded the fastest lap in 1:37.573, completing a dominant final weekend.
Records rewritten in 2026
The final championship table only begins to explain Bulega’s advantage.
He finished the season with 726 points, 163 clear of teammate Lecuona on 563. Yari Montella completed the championship podium with 318 points, less than half Bulega’s total.
Bulega’s principal 2026 records included:
- 32 victories in one season
- 36 podium finishes
- 25 consecutive WorldSBK victories
- 49 consecutive podiums
- 11 pole positions
- 16 Grand Slams before the final two rounds
- A record number of races led from start to finish
- 726 championship points
His 32 victories broke the previous single-season record of 27 established by Álvaro Bautista in 2023.
The scale of Bulega’s consistency was arguably even more impressive than the outright win total. He reached the podium in all 36 races, extending his consecutive podium sequence to 49—almost double the previous record of 25 shared by Colin Edwards and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu.
His streak of 25 successive victories combined the final four races of 2025 with the opening 21 races of 2026. It was a level of sustained control never previously seen in WorldSBK.
Ducati’s season of complete dominance
Bulega was the central figure, but Ducati’s 2026 campaign extended far beyond one rider.
The manufacturer won every WorldSBK race during the season. Bulega contributed 32 victories, while Lecuona claimed the remaining wins during his first year with the factory team.
Ducati riders also occupied the first four positions in the final championship:
- Nicolò Bulega – 726 points
- Iker Lecuona – 563 points
- Yari Montella – 318 points
- Sam Lowes – 268 points
Lecuona’s season would have looked remarkable in almost any other year. He finished second in the championship, collected 27 runner-up finishes and helped Aruba.it Racing–Ducati control the Teams’ standings.
Montella’s third place and Lowes’ fourth further demonstrated that the performance was not limited to the factory operation. Independent Ducati teams remained competitive throughout the field, while Barni Ducati finished second in the Teams’ Championship.
Ducati had already secured its 22nd Manufacturers’ Championship and 17th Riders’ Championship before Jerez. The 2026 Panigale V4 R therefore leaves the season with a difficult distinction for Ducati’s rivals: it was not only the championship-winning motorcycle but the machine that won every race and secured every pole.
From WorldSSP champion to WorldSBK benchmark
Bulega’s rise through Ducati’s production-racing programme has been exceptionally rapid.
He joined the Ducati and Aruba.it structure in WorldSSP, winning the 2023 championship before moving into WorldSBK.
He finished runner-up in both 2024 and 2025, using those two seasons to establish himself as a regular winner and title challenger.
With Toprak Razgatlıoğlu moving to MotoGP, Bulega entered 2026 as the favourite. He did not merely justify that position; he transformed the season into a demonstration of what happens when the fastest rider, strongest motorcycle and most effective team operate at the same level.
The next challenge: MotoGP with VR46
Bulega will remain part of the Ducati family when he moves to MotoGP.
Ducati Corse confirmed that he has renewed his agreement with the manufacturer and will race for the factory-supported Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in 2027, alongside Fermín Aldeguer.
He is not arriving completely unfamiliar with MotoGP machinery. Bulega has worked as a Ducati MotoGP test rider and made his premier-class debut in 2025 when he replaced Marc Márquez for the final two rounds. He scored his first MotoGP point by finishing 15th in Portugal.
The move will still require a substantial adjustment. MotoGP demands different braking techniques, aerodynamic understanding, tyre management and adaptation to prototype machinery.
However, Bulega enters the championship with momentum few rookies can match: a WorldSSP title, a WorldSBK crown and a final Superbike season built around 32 victories from 36 starts.
Torque & Throttle Take
Bulega’s final WorldSBK season was not simply dominant—it was statistically difficult to comprehend.
He won nearly 89% of the races, finished on the podium every time and scored more than twice as many points as the rider who finished third in the championship.
The Ducati package was clearly exceptional, but Lecuona’s performance helps place Bulega’s season in context. His teammate finished second in the championship with 563 points, yet Bulega still beat him by 163.
That is the clearest indication that this was more than motorcycle superiority.
The MotoGP move arrives at the right time. Bulega has achieved everything available to him in WorldSBK, and remaining for another year would have meant trying to repeat a season that may never be replicated.
Jerez provided the farewell the moment deserved: pole position, three victories, fastest laps and one final Ducati one-two.
Bulega leaves WorldSBK as champion, level with Troy Bayliss on 52 victories and the owner of records that could survive for many years.
Now the production-racing benchmark becomes a MotoGP rookie.
Image credit: WorldSBK / Ducati Corse
Sources
- Official WorldSBK Jerez Race 2 report
- Official 2026 championship standings
- WorldSBK – Bulega’s Jerez farewell
- Ducati Corse – Bulega confirmed for VR46 MotoGP
