A hat-trick at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) has put him on the verge of the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship title. The #11 won all three races, albeit with some pressure from teammate Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), during the Acerbis French Round as he put one hand and four fingers on this year’s Riders’ Championship trophy.
Bulega finished every single session in France in P1, from FP1 on Friday to Race 2 on Sunday. He took pole position once again to stay perfect in Tissot Superpole sessions this season, a lap record-setting 1’34.318s effort, before claiming victory in Race 1 on Saturday despite and early challenge from teammate Iker Lecuona. The #7 got ahead at Turn 5 but, a couple of laps later, ‘Bulegas’ responded to get ahead.
It was a similar story in the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday morning, with Lecuona taking the lead on Lap 1 before Bulega responded on Lap 3 – both overtakes came at Turn 5. It was a different story in the afternoon Race 2, with Bulega able to pull off a lights-to-flag victory for his 46th in WorldSBK, while also tightening his grip on P1 in the standings, with Bulega able to be crowned Champion next time out at Cremona.
Reflecting on his Sunday and his season so far, Bulega: “Iker was very strong all weekend, but every time he pushes more, I always put more on the table! It’s good to win, especially in Race 2, the last race of the weekend. Now, I’m looking forward to going to Cremona. I’m in good shape with my bike.”
Bulega’s 2026 season has been nothing short of sensational, on top of setting himself up with a 146-point margin in the Riders’ Championship race with three rounds left to ride. This has made it likely that he will mathematically secure the title on home soil at Cremona. He can win it in Race 1 if he’s 161 points clear of Lecuona, in the Superpole Race if he’s 149 points clear and in Race 2 if he’s 124 points ahead of his teammate.
Understated as ever, on the Championship picture, Bulega was focused on race wins rather than the title fight said: “We have a big advantage now. Cremona could be very nice if I can win the title there. As I said before, the important thing is to win races. It’s important to continue to win races.”
Bulega can re-write more history too. He’s on 26 wins in the 2026 campaign, only one shy of the all-time record for victories in a single campaign. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) took 27 wins in his title-winning campaign in 2023. If he does win the title in Race 1, he will be Champion in his 100th race.
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