Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) is a MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race winner at last. The #7 secured victory after an incredible battle at Donington Park with teammate Nicolo Bulega, with the fight raging for all 23 laps of Race 1. Lecuona was able to resist all of Bulega’s pressure to take his first victory in any World Championship as he ended Bulega’s winning run at the Prosecco DOC UK Round.

LECUONA WINS, BULEGA’S STREAK ENDS

Lecuona got a great start when the lights went out as he took an early lead ahead of teammate Bulega, while Sam Lowes was also on the move as he climbed into third place on the opening lap. On Lap 3, Lecuona went wide through Turn 3 and allowed Bulega to take the lead, but the #7 was able to recover the position. On Lap 4, Lecuona set a new race lap record to start extending his lead over the #11. However, on Lap 5, Bulega tried to pass at the Melbourne Loop, but his Spanish rider was able to hold P1 once again. The pair were quicker than each other at different points of the circuit, with the gap between them ebbing and flowing throughout the whole race. On Lap 16, Lecuona was able to get a gap of around four tenths over Bulega, although the #11 did immediately close that down in the first half of Lap 17. On Lap 20, the gap was reduced to just a tenth as Bulega looked to continue his victory streak, and Lecuona ran wide at Turn 11 which cost him time, although the Italian was unable to make a move at the Old Hairpin. At Turn 9, Bulega did get ahead, but Lecuona responded immediately at Turn 11 to re-claim the lead heading onto Lap 22 of 23. On that lap, Bulega tried to pass at Turn 11 but both riders went slightly wide and Lecuona gathered it up to keep the lead, giving the #7 a gap of a few tenths over the #11. The battle raged until the last lap with the pair almost coming together at the penultimate corner again, but Lecuona was able to claim his first victory in his 141^st race – the second-longest wait for a first win, after Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) took 154 races for his first victory. It means Bulega’s streak came to an end at 25 races.

MONTELLA ON THE ROSTRUM

There was an early fight for the podium but it was Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) who came out on top as he made it nine rostrums in the 2026 season, and his fourth in a row, finishing 6.711s down on Lecuona and finishing five seconds clear of home hero Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who was unable to stand on the rostrum at home in Race 1. Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) claimed an impressive P5 finish, and at one point, looked like he had the opportunity to challenge the #14. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) was sixth after a late-race fight with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who finished in P7.

INSIDE THE TOP TEN

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) finished inside the top ten for the first time since Race 2 at Aragon as he came home in eighth place, around five seconds down on Alex Lowes ahead but 1.465s clear of Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in ninth. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was tenth after starting from P5 on the grid, unable to convert his second-row start into a top six finish. However, he finished as the lead Yamaha rider.

TAKING POINTS FROM RACE 1

Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in 11^th place, less than two seconds away from a place in the top ten, and with a similar margin to Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in 12^th. The #87 had to fend off Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) with the pair just 0.173s apart at the end of the 23-lap race. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) recovered from running wide and dropping down the order to take two points with 14^th place, with Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounding out the points-paying positions.

JUST MISSING OUT

Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) missed out on a point by under two seconds as he finished in 16^th, with Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in 17^th place. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) had been running in the points but dropped to 18^th in the closing stages, beating Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and teammate Somkiat Chantra.

Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC) was the only retirement from Race 1, bringing his Honda machine into the pits after 19 laps.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:

1. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.165s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +.6.711s
4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 11.668s
5. Tommy Bridewell (Superbikes Advocates) +14.272s
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +16.830s

Fastest lap: – Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) 1’25.491s, new lap record

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