Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) closes the book on the Cremona Circuit’s EICMA Italian Round with the best MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship round of his career. The #7 took pole on Saturday and took Race 1’s top step of the rostrum, before going on to win Sunday’s pair of races for his first-ever hat trick at the World Championship level. The round also saw the Spaniard clinch second in the 2026 Riders’ Championship battle, and while his teammate Nicolo Bulega was crowned WorldSBK Champion ahead of him, Lecuona’s runner-up finish in his first year in factory Ducati red is a strong omen for the #7’s seasons to come.
A SUBLIME SATURDAY
After topping both Free Practices on Friday, taking pole, and winning Race 1 in convincing fashion, Lecuona pushed the title-deciding race to Sunday, and while chances of a Riders’ title looked slim with Bulega only needing to score 15 points to clinch the Championship, the #7 was resolute to give it his all.
“IT WAS CRAZY WHAT WE FOUND ON THE BIKE ON FRIDAY. IT GAVE ME A BIG STEP AND A LOT OF CONFIDENCE”
In Sunday morning’s Tissot Superpole Race, he set off from P1, with the #11 close behind, who didn’t let him extend by more than 0.213s after three laps. Slowly but surely, Lecuona extended his lead to more than six tenths by Lap 7 and closed out the shorter-distance race just over two seconds ahead of the #11 for his second win of the weekend. So, it all came down to Race 2 on Sunday afternoon. Lecuona set off once again from pole, and with the fastest lap of the race of 1’28.122s on Lap 2, he already enjoyed a gap of more than four tenths, and after five more laps of sub.1’28.5 times, he had already dropped the rest of the pack, 1.3 seconds clear of Bulega. After crossing the line, all the fanfare went to a newly crowned Bulega, and Lecuona pulled over trackside to congratulate his teammate on a truly historic season. For the #7, however, it could hardly have been a better weekend, and with renewed enthusiasm after a step forward the team made on Friday, he will look for more time atop the podium to close out 2026.
On his nearly perfect weekend, Lecuona said: “I just missed those 0.025s in FP3 to outpace Surra in FP3 to have a completely perfect weekend. It was crazy what we found on the bike on Friday. It gave me a big step and a lot of confidence on the bike. I rode gently and strongly, I could fight with Nicolo even with him riding on the SCQ tyre. I didn’t expect to have that distance from him; his mind was on the Championship, of course, so he just wanted to finish, but I enjoyed my riding a lot. I told the team not to touch the bike, not to even change the oil; I want to take it to Estoril with this feeling.”
“I HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON FROM HERE”
After taking just two podiums in his prior four seasons in the paddock, Lecuona’s 2026 has been historic in its own right. He already has more podiums than American two-time WorldSBK Champion Fred Merkel, and with 28 to his tally at the moment, if he keeps his podium pace and takes a top three in every race over the final two rounds, he will sit just one fewer than his countryman Ruben Xaus and Irish 13-time race winner Eugene Laverty who sit tied at 35 rostrum results apiece.
On his maiden triple and looking ahead to the penultimate round at Estoril, Lecuona said: “I didn’t expect it! I thought Nicolo would be a bit closer being at home in Italy; but I had crazy pace. I’m very very happy, I didn’t expect this, so it’s time to enjoy. I have more confidence for the rest of the season from here, but for sure Nicolo will be on the limit more at Estoril; he has less pressure with the Championship closed now.”
How will Lecuona fare in the final rounds of 2026? Can he continue to outpace Bulega? Find out at Estoril on Friday, October 9th with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!