STATS ROUND-UP: Bulega draws level with Spies, Oliveira ends Portugal’s 36-year wait for WorldSBK podium
Plenty of big milestones were reached in Portugal, and we’ve gathered the best numbers for you…
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship tackled the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve rollercoaster and plenty of history was made. From a milestone for Ducati, a long wait for podiums and more, we’ve rounded up the best stats from the Pirelli Portuguese Round in one easy place for you.
1200 – With Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) claiming victory in Race 1, Ducati celebrated their 1200th WorldSBK podium.
531 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) stood on the WorldSBK rostrum for the first time in 531 days in Race 1; his previous podium was Estoril 2024 in Race 2.
250 – Lecuona’s P2 in the Tissot Superpole Race was Spain’s 250th WorldSBK podium.
150 – With Bulega and Lecuona finishing 1-2 in Race 1, Ducati secured their 150th 1-2 finish.
36 – Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took his first WorldSBK podium in Race 1, becoming the first Portuguese rider since Alex Vieira to stand on the rostrum; Vieira’s last podium was at Hockenheim in 1989. Oliveira went on to take two more rostrums, putting him two behind Vieira’s tally, ending Portugal’s 36-year wait for a rider to stand on the podium.
26 – Bulega has 26 WorldSBK wins, all for Ducati, putting him level with Doug Polen. His next target is Chaz Davies, with 28.
19 – Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC) has scored points in every WorldSBK season he has taken part in, now up to 19 seasons.
11 – Bulega claimed his 11th WorldSBK pole position on bike #11, surpassing Carlos Checa, Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Pierfrancesco Chili; he’s now level with 2009 Champion Ben Spies. His next target is Colin Edwards on 15.
10 – Bulega has won the last 10 races (dating back to Estoril Race 2 last year). Only Toprak Razgatlioglu, Rea, and Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) have recorded such a streak. The all-time record is 13, set by Razgatlioglu in 2024 and 2025.
8 – 8 different riders have stood on the podium in the opening six races. This is only one fewer than 2025.
6-11 – Bulega has won the first six races of the season, the best start to a single campaign since Bautista won the first 11 in 2019.
5 – All three races at Portimao featured an identical top five; this has happened six times in WorldSBK history.
4-5 – Four of Lecuona’s five podiums have come in Portugal (three at Portimao, one at Estoril). The only one that didn’t come in Portugal was his first, which was at Assen; the next venue for WorldSBK.
1-2 – The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team became the first team to finish 1-2 in the Tissot Superpole session and all three races. In the two-race era, Rea and Tom Sykes finished 1-2 in Superpole and both races in 2016 at Misano.
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