22 races into 2026, it was Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) who at last broke his teammate Nicolo Bulega's phenomenal MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship win streak in the opening race of the Prosecco DOC UK Round. The #7's victory is not only his first in WorldSBK, but also his first at World Championship level, while ending a run of 20 consecutive podium finishes without a victory. With the monkey off his back, the Spaniard’s relief is palpable, and he’s looking to get back on the top step throughout the 14 races remaining in 2026.

“HE TRIED MANY TIMES, I TOOK THE POSITION BACK MANY TIMES”

Shooting off the line at lights out, Lecuona took the holeshot into Redgate. Bulega hung close behind, measuring the #7 before taking his first stab at the race lead on Lap 3, cutting inside of the Spaniard into the Craner Curves before Lecuona parried the move by cutting back inside of the #11 on the exit of the section.

Bulega made his first of several attacks in the final sector on Lap 5 at the Melbourne Hairpin, with Lecuona expertly defending as he anticipated the move and cut back inside on the exit as the lead pair ran down towards Goddards. As the race continued into the latter half of the contest, Bulega looked to be biding his time, gradually turning up the heat on the #7 in a similar fashion as had been seen at Aragon and on other occasions where the Spaniard led in the early running.

After having a peek up the inside on Lap 13 at the Fogarty Esses, Bulega struck on the penultimate lap, taking the lead at the Turn 9-10 chicane. This time, Lecuona was unable to cut back immediately, but with a head full of steam, the #7 made a hard-charging block pass on the Melbourne Hairpin, sealing out the #11 as the Spaniard recouped his lead. Making one last desperate attempt to continue his monumental 25-race win streak, Bulega looked to make a move down the inside at the same Melbourne Hairpin on the final lap, but Lecuona blocked off the inside line, causing Bulega to try a sweeping move around the inside to no avail. After going defensive down into the final Goddards Hairpin, Lecuona cruised across the line under two tenths ahead of the Championship-leading #11.

On his maiden World Championship win, Lecuona said: “I’m really happy. From the first lap to the last, on the third or fourth lap, he tried at Turn 11 but went wide, and I defended first. It was a bit strange, because it was my first time leading so many laps during a race. It was strange because I didn’t have a reference in front of me, so it can be quite tricky, but my pace was fast; I was in the 1’25s the entire race until the final two laps, where we started to fight a lot. I’m very happy because we know that Nicolo is faster in sectors one and two; we are similar in sector three, but I am faster in sector four; so, I knew that if I arrived first there, the victory was there. He tried many times; I took the position back many times. One time, I made a mistake, and he overtook on the brakes into Turn 9, so I had to make a bit of a block pass at Turn 11. I had to force myself in a bit to find a victory. We improved the bike a lot this morning, and Nicolo told me we are on a very similar pace. Let’s see if we can find something more tomorrow.”

“LAST WEEK, I BECAME A DAD. I DEDICATE THIS WIN TO MY DAUGHTER LUNA”

Lecuona’s trip to the United Kingdom came at a special time for the Spanish rider, as his wife had recently given birth to his first child; and while the common conception is that having kids tends to lead riders to lose a step, the #7 soared to new heights in the first race at Donington Park. Lecuona made his World Championship debut two months shy of 10 years ago in the United Kingdom when he took to the track at Silverstone in Moto2. Two podiums in Moto2, and 20 podiums in WorldSBK later, Lecuona can now call himself a race winner at the World Championship level. While he landed a proud home podium at the Valencian GP in 2018 in Moto2; prior to his win today, for his last race win, he would have to wind back the clock to 2015, when a 15-year-old Iker Lecuona topped the podium in a Spanish superbike race.

On his breakthrough win, Lecuona said: “I don’t remember exactly. I know it was in 2015 in the Spanish Championship, because I didn’t get any wins in Moto2, just a podium I remember from 2018 in Valencia in Moto2. It’s crazy, it’s so cool, and this victory is even more special as last week I became a dad. I dedicate this win to my daughter Luna. It was almost a perfect race, just one mistake when I went a bit onto the grass. I thought the race might be too long and that I might not be able to hold on, but with three laps to go I realised there was no time to think and I just needed to ride. I’m really happy with Ducati. I don’t crash as much anymore, and that gives me a lot of confidence. Nicolo did an amazing race, but he isn’t unbeatable. Let’s see tomorrow if we can do it again.”

“I’M SO HAPPY FOR HIM, AND I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST OF MANY!”

Lecuona and Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) shared the Honda HRC box for four years, where the pair of Spaniards made their WorldSBK debut back in 2022. Both riders bid the Japanese manufacturer adieu after the 2025 season, with Lecuona donning Ducati red and Yamaha blue for Vierge. While they are now riding for different teams, Vierge was pleased to see his former teammate atop the rostrum on Saturday.

On Lecuona’s maiden race win, Vierge said: “I’m so happy for him, I know the level he had back with Honda HRC. We shared the box for four seasons, and it’s nice to see him now battling for race wins. I’m so happy for him, and I hope that this is the first of many!”

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