Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) made it 44 wins in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, above Noriyuki Haga, in Race 1 of the Acerbis French Round with victory over teammate Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) completed the rostrum at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in a race which was interrupted and restarted due to a red flag.
THE FIRST HALF OF THE RACE
Bulega grabbed the holeshot when the lights went out while Lecuona immediately gained a place as he leapt ahead of Sam Lowes, before attacking the #11 at the Turn 5 Adelaide hairpin to take the lead of the race. On Lap 3, Bulega claimed the lead of the race at Turn 5 by outbraking his teammate, while, on the following lap, Lecuona tried an audacious move at the same corner but ran wide. On Lap 6, the #11 lapped half-a-second clear of Lecuona to build a gap over the #7. Lecuona kept pushing hard though, pulling off a save at Turn 13. However, on Lap 10, the red flags were shown following a crash for Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) at Turn 14 on Lap 9. The #46 was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. He was declared fit following his check.
SCRAPPING FOR VICTORY
The race was restarted over 12 laps, with the grid based on the positions at the last completed timing point for each rider, with Bulega, Lecuona and Sam Lowes going from the front row. On Lap 1 at Turns 6 and 7, Leuona forced his way into the lead of the race. On Lap 2, Bulega regained the lead at Turn 5, while Sam Lowes tried to take advantage at Turn 8, but the Spanish rider was able to hold second place, before the #11 put in a new race lap record to build a gap of over a second to his teammate. From there, ‘Bulegas’ had the race under control as he made it 24 wins out of 25 this season and three in a row; the 24 wins in a single campaign is just three shy of the all-time record, held by Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team). His victory puts him above Haga in sixth in the all-time list with 44 in total. while Lecuona finished in second, and that result means Bulega’s coronation will be delayed until at least Cremona. The Spanish rider’s 20th second place finish of the year is tied for the all-time record, level with Toprak Razgatlioglu in 2023.
BATTLING IT OUT
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) finished in fourth place after a battle with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in the restarted race. It ignited on Lap 5, when the #5 tried to pass the #22 at Turn 5, but a forceful Alex Lowes ensured he remained ahead of the Independent Ducati rider. A lap later, the Bimota rider ran wide at the Imola chicane, which gave Montella the opportunity to take P4 with Alex Lowes demoted into fifth. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) claimed sixth despite a dramatic start to his race. On the Warm Up Lap, ‘Balda’ was checking his bike, before he belatedly arrived on the grid.
BASSANI CLIMBS FROM P16 TO P7
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) was one of the main beneficiaries of the red flag. Having initially started in 16th, he was ninth when the race was stopped, and he used this to climb up the order to seventh at the chequered flag; he had been closing in on Baldassarri, but he ran wide in the opening sector, and cost himself a couple of seconds. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) finished in eighth ahead of Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), with Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) completing the top ten.
EVERYONE SCORES POINTS
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) scored his first points of the season as he finished in 11th place after a last-lap fight with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), who was demoted to 12th at the end of the race. Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was 13th while a crash for Bautista at Turn 15 on Lap 3 of the restarted race ended his hopes of a top ten finish. However, the two-time Champion was able to re-join the race and, with the spate of retirements in Race 1, was able to collect two Championship points.
RACE OF ATTRITION
Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) brought his bike into the pits at the end of the opening lap to retire from the race. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out of the race at the Adelaide hairpin after contact from Vierge, with the incident being investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) crashed out at Turn 8 on Lap 5, while Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) crashed in the opening sector on Lap 6. Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crashed out at the end of Lap 8 when he had a spectacular highside through the final chicane.
The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
- Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +3.118s
- Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +6.293s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.786s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +9.433s
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +10.050s
Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) 1’35.030s – new lap record
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