Wrapping up his historic 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign on Sunday at the Cremona Circuit in cinematic fashion, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) was crowned Riders’ Champion in the final race of the round. While he etched his name in the record books with his speed and consistency this season, he couldn’t have done it alone, and members of his Ducati outfit said their rider brought the Riders’ title back to Bologna for the first time since 2023.
AN UNFORGETTABLE SEASON
The #11 is only the second Italian to ever win a WorldSBK Championship after Max Biaggi. The #3 won the second of his two world titles in 2012; coincidentally, his maiden 2010 title also came on Italian soil at Imola. For Ducati, however, the dominant 2026 campaign will go down as one of the Championship’s most dominant campaigns. Among a pile of records set this season, ‘Bulegas’ is on pace to outstrip Ducati’s last Riders’ title-winning effort back in 2023 when Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) set the previous record of 27 wins in a regular season. With 26 race wins, Bulega still has two rounds to find two more wins to break yet another record.
“THE JOB THAT NICOLO DID ALL YEAR WAS AMAZING”
Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall’Igna was blown away by his countryman’s 2026 campaign; he said: “It’s unbelievable. The job that Nicolo did all year was amazing. The people around the box and around the bike did an unbelievable job. I can only congratulate them; it’s impossible to do better. I’m proud; the bike and the team won all the races. Not only victories for the factory, but all the teams with it had incredible results.”
“HE CAME HERE IN A COMPLICATED MOMENT OF HIS CAREER …IT’S A VERY STRONG STORY FOR MOTORSPORT IN GENERAL”
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali acknowledged the struggles the #11 had in his seasons before joining the WorldSBK paddock, and how that only makes his story of resilience stronger, he said: “We feel very proud. It’s been very special, because not only did Nicolo win the Championship, but how he dominated. We had a new bike this year, so we expected improved performance, but the new Panigale has been very strong. Nicolo did something fantastic. The number of consecutive wins has been incredible. He came here in a moment of complicated moment of his career. We, and the team trusted him. We won the WorldSSP title together. It’s a remarkable achievement, and we’re very excited for the next step as we found a solution to have a team for him in MotoGP. It’s a very strong story for motorsport in general.”
“100%, 10/10, HE HANDLED EVERY RACE PERFECTLY”
On his teammate’s title achievement, Lecuona said: “100%, 10/10, he handled every race perfectly. He won practically every race every time he jumped on the bike; he won the races he needed to win. Now, he didn’t win to not take too much of a risk. I’m very happy for him. I said long ago that I’d be happy if he won because he deserved it. He needs to enjoy, and I’m sure that it will be a different story in Estoril.”
“EVEN INCLUDING CIRCUITS WHERE HE HAD STRUGGLED, HE HAS BEEN PERFECT THIS YEAR”
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Principal Cecconi said: “It’s been a season we couldn’t even have dreamed of. We were confident before the 2026 season that we would have a good bike and good riders, but such domination wasn't expected, to be honest. It’s been an amazing journey from Phillip Island to here, and we hope to enjoy the last couple of races to end a season that could set records that will stand for a very long time. Almost every weekend, Nicolo has been raising the bar. Phillip Island is one of his favourite circuits, so we weren’t surprised to see him so fast there; but even including circuits where he had struggled, he has been perfect this year. Hot, cold, he had 25 wins until Iker ended the streak, and even then he still got second.”
“WE ARE PROUD TO BRING HIM BACK TO THE MOTOGP PADDOCK”
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Manager Serafino Foti said: “We’re excited. It’s been an amazing journey. We started in 2022 with WorldSSP, then he won the title there, and now he has the WorldSBK title. We are so, so happy and proud of this. I want to congratulate everyone at Ducati. He’s such a fast rider; we are proud to bring him back to the MotoGP paddock.”
Look back on the historic campaign with OnDemand streaming of every session from every round and be sure to tune in on Friday, October 9th for the action Live at Estoril! Subscribe today to the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!