Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) has ridden back into the boxes in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia for the final time as the curtain falls on the 2026 season. With his ticket into the MotoGP paddock atop the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in his back pocket, he will ride off into the sunset from the Pirelli Spanish Round as a World Champion and with his name stamped ad nauseam atop the WorldSBK record books.

“IT’S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE FIVE YEARS TOGETHER, BUT A REALLY INCREDIBLE FINAL SEASON”

Bulega started his final weekend in the paddock hot. The #11 bagged his 11^th pole position from 12 rounds in 2026 with a 1’36.643s time and was in no mood to debate with his factory Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona for P1 on Saturday as he took the holeshot and ran free to a pole to flag Race 1 victory. Sunday morning, he kept the hammer down from pole, and Turn 1 proved the closest any other rider could get to the #11. With the SCX tyre on the rear, Bulega set a new race lap record on Lap 3 with a 1’37.196s time and maintained pace within the 1’37s for each lap, omitting Lap 1 and the final Lap 10 – sustained pace that only two other riders managed on a single lap. Race 2 saw Lecuona lead through the first five corners, but Bulega was inevitable as he made his way past on Turn 6 for the lead. Within five laps, he was more than a second clear, and while his pace diminished late in the race from Lap 16 on as the white flag was waved, he cruised home for the third and final win of the 2026 season.

After his final Sunday triple, emotions ran high. Bulega said: “I’m really happy, another weekend, another fantastic job; the last fantastic job. Thank you to my team; it’s been an incredible five years together, but a really incredible final season. A lot of wins; our worst result was second, what can I say, the results speak for themselves. It was an emotional moment in pit lane, the whole team and I were crying. For me, it was very important to win the final three races this weekend and leave this paddock with three more wins. In the end, we achieved another incredible weekend, and I’m very happy.”

“TODAY I MATCHED BAYLISS… SO IT’S FANTASTIC TO THINK THAT MY NAME IS UP THERE NEXT TO HIS”

The win was an exclamation mark on his record-destroying three seasons in the Championship, with which he tied his idol Troy Bayliss for fourth with 52 WorldSBK wins. Over his 108 races, he sat on the podium in 92 of them, good for tenth in the all-time rankings, and he sits just one shy of Carl Fogarty in sixth place with 21 pole positions. This season in particular has been unprecedented in his dominance, as this round he broke Jonathan Rea's single-season points record of 663 points with his 726-point 2026 campaign.

On what these accolades mean to him, Bulega said: “Each record makes me happy in its own way. I don’t pay much attention to them, but when they get brought up in the media, it is incredible to see them. Today I matched Bayliss for wins; he was one of my idols, so it’s fantastic to think that my name is up there next to his. I’m really happy, and I can’t thank my team enough. It’s unbelievable that after only three seasons I’m in the top five for wins. It’s a dream come true.”

“WE WERE JUST SAYING THAT WHILE WE WERE RIVALS DURING THE YEAR, WE ARE NOT RIVALS ANYMORE”

In the process of bagging his record-breaking 32 wins and 36 podiums this season, the only rider who could hold a candle to the #11 was his first-year ‘Ducatisti’ teammate Lecuona. The #7 seemed to chafe under Bulega’s P1 dominance, breaking a record of his own with 27 silver medals in a season, the most since Toprak Razgatlioglu had 20 back in 2023. The two shared a heartfelt moment in Parc Ferme, putting the tension behind them, and Bulega made his way to Turn 11 to say goodbye to fellow Italian rider Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who is leaving the Championship.

On the words he shared with his teammate in Parc Ferme, Bulega said: “When I was talking with Iker, we were just saying that while we were rivals during the year, we are not rivals anymore. He pushed me during the year, it was nice. I stopped at Turn 11 next season to say goodbye to Danilo. I will try to come to Misano next year, and who knows? Maybe one day I’ll come back.”

That’s it for 2026! Subscribe today and look back through Bulega’s historic 2026 season with the WorldSBK VideoPass!