Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) reminded the paddock once again which of the 12 circuits on the calendar is his favourite as he takes his second consecutive hat-trick at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field couldn’t lay a finger on the Italian as he led all but three laps of the round, and he now enjoys a comfortable 20-point lead atop the field.

SETTING THE TONE: Bulega quickest on Friday, pole and win on Saturday

After his heroics here last year, Bulega came into the season-opener as the clear favourite, and that continued when he topped both Friday sessions by a considerable margin. His best time was a 1’28.858s as he cemented his grip on P1, finishing half-a-second clear of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in second and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) in third place. On Saturday, Bulega once again finished P1 in FP3 before claiming his tenth pole position after posting a 1’28.244s to beat surprise package Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team). From there, he was able to control Race 1 ahead of the #5 to claim the first victory of the season.

SUNDAY SUCCESS: Victory in the Superpole Race

While Race 1 was relatively simple for ‘Bulegas’, Sunday’s two races were the complete opposite. First, in the Tissot Superpole Race, he and the whole field had to contend with drops of rain in the early stages. In the 10-lap battle, Bulega initially dropped down to P4 before fighting his way back through the field to claim his second win of the weekend as he moved one step closer to repeating his 2025 hat-trick.

Discussing his Superpole Race win, Bulega said: “It was incredible! On Sunday morning, during the Superpole Race, it was difficult because it started raining and we had slick tyres, so I had to be very careful. In the end, I won, and it was a very good race. I enjoyed it a lot. In the first laps, I didn’t have much information about the bike. After some laps, I understood more about how to ride in those conditions. I was able to overtake the riders ahead of me and won the race; it was very good.”

MASTERING THE RAIN: Unbeatable in the wet conditions

Rain had been threatening throughout Sunday, but it started to fall in earnest in the afternoon, affecting both WorldSSP Race 2 and WorldSBK Race 2, with World Superbike getting the worst of the conditions. Despite this, Bulega led all 22 laps as he completed the hat-trick and beat Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) to top spot for the second time on Sunday. It means the #11 leaves Australia with seven wins at the iconic venue, putting him level with Troy Corser and Jonathan Rea.

Speaking about Race 2, the Italian said: “It was an amazing weekend! I was a bit angry before Race 2, because I knew I had a good pace and a good feeling in dry conditions, but I was upset to see the rain start to fall on the track. I tried to put that anger and that energy into my riding and went for the win. I rode well; I had a good feeling from the beginning, but it got difficult after some laps because the asphalt began to get slippery. In any case, I was able to win another race, and I’m happy. Phillip Island is my favourite track, it’s amazing, and my target is always to win when I’m here.”

Next up for Bulega and the WorldSBK field, Portimao! Follow it all using the WorldSBK VideoPass!