Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) claimed a hat-trick at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve as his perfect start to the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season continued. He defeated teammate Iker Lecuona for the third time this weekend while home hero Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will also leave the Pirelli Portuguese Round with three trophies after a third P3 finish.

HAT-TRICK HERO: Bulega’s winning run hits double figures

Bulega made it three holeshots for the weekend as he leapt off the grid to maintain P1, being trailed by Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and, before the #88 got ahead of the #22 at Turn 3 on Lap 2. Iker Lecuona made a slow start again but was back in the rostrum places when he got ahead of Alex Lowes at Turn 1 on Lap 3. A lap later and the #7 passed Oliveira for second at Turn 1 despite the Portuguese rider’s efforts to hang it around the outside at the right-hand corner. While Bulega and Lecuona were pulling clear of Oliveira, the #88 had to defend from Alex Lowes in the final six laps of the race but dug deep as he secured his third P3 finish at his home round. Bulega’s winning streak is now 10 races and it’s the best start to a season since Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) won 11 races in a row in 2019. With Lecuona’s P2, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati become the first team to take three 1-2 finishes in a weekend; they were also 1-2 in Tissot Superpole.

ALEX AHEAD OF SAM: The twin brothers close together on track

With the British rider unable to pass Oliveira, despite finishing only 0.169s behind the BMW star, he had to settle for P4 ahead of twin brother Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who finished P5 for the fifth time this season; when he has seen the chequered flag in 2026, he has finished in this position. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) finished in sixth after fighting up the order, five seconds behind the #14 directly ahead.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: Petrucci defeats Bassani in late-race fight

Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had his strongest race of the weekend as he finished in P7 after a late-race battle with Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team). The #9 got ahead of his compatriot on the penultimate lap at Turn 1. Bassani finished just over a second behind Petrucci with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) completing the top ten. They had been in a fight with Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) but the #31 crashed out of the race on the final lap.

SCORING POINTS: A birthday present for Manzi, Rea takes P12

Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was able to claim points on his birthday as he finished in P11, his best result in his fledgling WorldSBK career. He finished ahead of Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC) who took 12^th ahead of Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates). It means Rea has now scored points in all 19 of his WorldSBK seasons. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) finished 14^th despite a crash at Turn 5 on Lap 4, as did Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) on the same lap in a separate incident, but recovered to P14 with Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) claiming the final point in Race 2; he served a Long Lap Penalty in Race 2 due to irresponsible riding in the Tissot Superpole Race.

HOUSEKEEPING: Several retirements from the final race of the weekend

There were five retirements from Race 2. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) crashed at Turn 13 on Lap 5 which ended his hopes of adding to his points tally, while Bahattin Sofuoglu (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) crashed a lap later at Turn 5. On Lap 8, Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) fell at Turn 13 while Bautista was also a faller at Turn 5, coming down a lap later to the despair of Team Manager Marco Barnabo. Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) came down at Turn 4 on Lap 16 to end his race. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) rejoined the race despite crashing at the same time as Vierge in a separate incident at Turn 5, and while he entered the pits initially, he rejoined the track but was not classified after being six laps down.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +1.967s
3. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +7.096s
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +7.265s
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +10.079s
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +15.105s
Fastest lap: Iker Lecuona, Ducati – 1’39.792s

Championship standings:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 124 points
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 68
3. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 60
4. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 56
5. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 48
6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 43

Next up for WorldSBK is the ‘Cathedral of Speed’! Watch all the action from the TT Circuit Assen using the WorldSBK VideoPass!