PEAKS AND TROUGHS: Bulega makes history as Lecuona shines, Bassani and Oliveira struggle in the Netherlands
There were plenty of surprises in the Netherlands after a dramatic Dutch Round
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship hit the incredible TT Circuit Assen for Round 3 of the 2026 season. A record streak was equalled during the Pirelli Dutch Round as riders tackled the ‘Cathedral of Speed’ – and intermittent rain showers – during a dramatic weekend of WorldSBK action. Some riders enjoyed the weekend while others had a trickier time of things in the Netherlands.
BULEGA AND LECUONA SHARE THREE PODIUMS… AGAIN: Maximum points for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
At Portimao, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team scored a maximum 111 points after Nicolo Bulega's hat-trick and Iker Lecuona following directly behind. That was repeated at Assen despite the efforts of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who, in both of Sunday’s races, was able to fight in the early stages with the factory duo. Bulega now has the joint-longest winning streak in WorldSBK, with 13 consecutive wins, while Lecuona has six podiums in a row – having taken two in his first four seasons in WorldSBK. The #7 continues to adapt to the Panigale V4R machine following his winter move, so perhaps a race win isn’t too far away for the Spanish rider. He took advantage of rain during Race 1 to close in on, and pass, Bulega to take the lead, before the #11 responded to take victory, while he also led the early stages of Race 2 as well.
BAUTISTA’S BEST WEEKEND AT BARNI DUCATI? Three P4 finishes for the #19
While it’s easy to look at the podium in Australia and conclude it’s been his best weekend since making the switch to the Barni Spark Racing Team, there’s an argument that Assen was Alvaro Bautista's best weekend so far. Consistent results came with three P4 finishes after taking seventh on the grid in Tissot Superpole, his first top-ten grid position from Superpole of the season. A quick start in Race 1 propelled him up the order and, while he didn’t have the pace to go with the trio ahead of him and it looked like he was holding up the pack in the early stages of the race, the two-time WorldSBK Champion eventually finished a relatively comfortable P4. He then repeated that in the Tissot Superpole Race, giving him a second row start for Race 2, before finishing in P4 again in the final race of the weekend.
BASSANI STRUGGLES IN THE NETHERLANDS: A high of P12 for ‘El Bocia’
Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) had an incredible weekend in Australia, with two podiums, and a solid weekend at Portimao with three P8 finishes. However, Assen was a difficult weekend for the #47, whose P12 finish in Race 1 was the best of the weekend for the Italian. Bimota were having to adapt to a 0.5kg/h fuel flow limitation restriction after the latest concession checkpoint, but teammate Alex Lowes was P5 in Race 1 and the Superpole Race, even if Race 2 was tricky for the #22. Bassani will hope he’s back in the top ten at the next round, at Balaton Park.
OLIVEIRA DROPS BACK FROM THE PODIUM PLACES: Outside the top ten for the Portuguese star
Assen has not been a strong circuit for BMW in recent years, even with two Toprak Razgatlioglu wins in 2024 and 2025. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) headed into the Netherlands on the back of three rostrums on home soil at Portimao but found himself only 13th in Saturday’s Superpole session. Although he battled his way up to P7 in Race 1, helped by a mid-race rain shower, that was the highlight of his weekend as he finished Sunday’s races in 11th and 12th. In contrast, teammate Danilo Petrucci was fourth in Superpole, and beat him in Sunday’s races; in Race 1, ‘Petrux’ was given a double Long Lap Penalty for a jump start and he had a big moment entering the long lap loop before going through the gravel.
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