It was a weekend to remember at the venerated TT Assen Circuit for the Pirelli Dutch Round, but few can be happier than Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), who has ridden a dominant 2026 so far. After back-to-back MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship runner-up finishes, he has ridden like a man possessed in 2026, winning every race so far as he extends his streak to 13 consecutive race wins stretching back to Race 2 at Estoril in 2025.

COOL, CALM, AND COLLECTED: “I just stayed calm and studied where I could overtake them. From there, it was a fantastic race”

His weekend started out ideally, earning his third pole of the season and setting a new circuit lap record in the process of 1’32.144s. In Race 1, the Italian was given perhaps the biggest run for his money of the season so far. His teammate Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) beat him to the punch from his P3 grid start to claim the holeshot, which Bulega responded to on Lap 2, only to be later overtaken by the defiant Spaniard for four laps later in the race. Bulega overcame him, but it is perhaps a sign of a fight to come as the #7 acclimates to his Ducati Panigale V4R.

On Sunday Morning, Bulega and his team seemed to have found a step overnight, taking off at lights out like lightning in a bottle. He had built up a 1.6s gap for himself by Lap 3, and the margin didn’t decrease from there for the rest of the contest. His victory not only meant a commanding 64-point lead for ‘Bulegas’ but also set him up to tie his longtime rival Toprak Razgatlioglu's consecutive win streak. The afternoon’s Race 2 brought a palpable tension in the air at the Dutch venue as the crowd knew the gravity of the occasion. At lights out, Ducati independent rider Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Lecuona took off, leaving Bulega in P3 early. With the composure of an older rider, however, Bulega casually reeled them both back in and made the pair of overtakes on Lap 3, first dropping the #14 on Turn 5, and later Bulega in the Geert Timmer chicane in front of the main grandstand.

On his Race 2, Bulega said: “I didn’t make a perfect start, Sam and Iker overtook me in the first laps. I just stayed calm and studied where I could overtake them. From there, it was a fantastic race. I made some good overtakes and didn’t make any mistakes. We improved the feeling from yesterday and had a good race pace, so I’m happy for that.”

DILIGENCE PAYING OFF: ”This is the result of hard work from me, and from Ducati”

Bulega’s current streak is a testament to his commitment to self-improvement and his work ethic. After two hard seasons where he was the second fastest rider on the grid, his work is paying dividends now as he stands as the clear title favourite, already 69 points up on Lecuona in second place in the Riders’ Championship.

On his historic run and what’s made it possible, Bulega said: “I’m in a good situation, I have a good mentality now, I know I can be fast in any conditions. When you win 13 in a row, it gives you a lot of motivation for the races to come; it’s been good for my head. The Era of Bulega sounds good. I think we’re in a good era right now. I can ride my bike well because my team is listening to my feedback, which is allowing us to improve session by session. This is the result of hard work from me, and from Ducati.”

Bulega takes on Balaton Park next round, starting on May 1^st, tune in with the WorldSBK VideoPass!