Two titles have already been won in the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship – the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships have gone to Aruba.it Racing – Ducati and Ducati respectively. But there is still plenty to play for in WorldSBK as the series heads to France and the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for Round 9 of the season, with a frantic four rounds to come.
BULEGA IN CONTROL IN THE RIDERS’ TITLE
With 23 wins out of 24 this season, it’s no surprise that Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) has one hand and four fingers on this year’s Riders’ Championship. The #11 has scored 491 points from a possible 496 this year and leads teammate Iker Lecuona by 133 points. These two are the only riders who can win this year’s crown, and Bulega could have the chance to win it in France; he would need to outscore Lecuona by 53 points to win it in Race 2. Given the #7’s form, it’s more likely that Bulega will be crowned on home soil at Cremona, but the possibility of Magny-Cours deciding another title is there…
INDEPENDENT HONOURS
There’s very little to choose between the riders fighting for top Independent honours in 2026. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) leads this battle with 211 points, 34 clear of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in second. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) has 145 points to his name and rounds out the top three, but it seems like this battle could go to the wire. In the Independent Teams’ battle, the Barni Spark Racing Team hold an advantage of 141 points over ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, with Montella and Alvaro Bautista combining to score 318 points. This title can be won in Race 2 in France, if both Barni Ducati riders outscore Marc VDS Ducati by 46 points and GoEleven Ducati by 14 points, and Motoxracing Yamaha by 22 points.
THE FIGHT FOR TOP ROOKIE
It’s not an official award, but it’s always good to take a look at how this year’s rookie crop is doing. There are some high-profile rookies this year, including five-time MotoGP winner Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who has four rostrums to his name – the most of any rookie this season. He has, however, missed a couple of rounds through injury which has hurt his points tally; he has scored 106 points in 2026. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) had been on a really strong run of form before being declared unfit at Donington Park, and has 95 points to his name. It’s worth noting that five of this year’s rookies have scored points, with only Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) missing out; the Brit has only completed one full round this year, at Donington Park, but will hope to get on the scoresheet in the final rounds of the year.
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