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Nicolo Bulega wrapped up the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship at Cremona, securing the riders’ crown with a runner‑up finish in Race 2. The result, achieved in front of his home crowd, confirmed a dominant season for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati with six races still remaining on the calendar.
Bulega closes the deal in Cremona
Bulega only needed a top‑five finish in the second race to clinch the title; he crossed the line second behind teammate Iker Lecuona to make it official. The podium finish ended any remaining mathematical doubt and left the paddock celebrating an early championship victory.
A season defined by relentless consistency
The numbers underline Bulega’s supremacy. He has taken victory in 26 of the first 30 races of the year, finishing second in the other four and reaching the podium at every round so far. That run includes an all‑time streak of 25 consecutive wins—the last four of 2025 plus 21 straight this year—which far exceeds the previous best of 13, a mark set twice by Toprak Razgatlioglu.
He also recorded a run of ten successive pole positions starting at Jerez in 2025, a sequence that ended when he was beaten in Superpole at Cremona.
Historic milestones and national pride
Bulega becomes only the second Italian to capture a WorldSBK title, joining Max Biaggi, who won in 2010 and 2012. Biaggi reacted warmly to the news, telling WorldSBK.com: “Finally, another Italian! I was feeling really lonely. Now, with him, I’m feeling much happier. Congrats to him because he’s dominated the season and it’s good that he’s coming to MotoGP after his tremendous year. I can’t wait to see him in that Championship.”
He also stands alone as the only rider to have held both the World Supersport and Superbike championships. Bulega won the WorldSSP crown in 2023 with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati on the Panigale V2.
Reflecting on his rise, Bulega said amid the Cremona celebrations: “When I won the [Supersport] title, I started to believe in myself again. When I came to WSBK, I knew it would be difficult, but I found a team that always believed in me from the first race.”
Ducati and Aruba.it complete the Triple Crown
Aruba.it Racing and Ducati claimed the season’s major honours together, taking the Riders’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles—completing the Triple Crown. The Riders’ crown is the marque’s 17th in WorldSBK.
Lecuona finished the Cremona weekend with his first WSBK hat‑trick, topping Superpole and winning both races. The championship now moves to Estoril on October 10–11, before the season concludes at Jerez the following weekend.
2026 World Superbike standings after 10 rounds
| Pos. | # | Rider | Team | Bike | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 602 |
| 2 | 71 | Iker Lecuona | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 469 |
| 3 | 5 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 269 |
| 4 | 22 | Alex Lowes | bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | Bimota KB998 | 226 |
| 5 | 14 | Sam Lowes | ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 219 |
| 6 | 34 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | Team Goeleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 193 |
| 7 | 47 | Axel Bassani | bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | Bimota KB998 | 184 |
| 8 | 31 | Garrett Gerloff | Kawasaki WorldSBK Team | Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR | 145 |
| 9 | 67 | Alberto Surra | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 140 |
| 10 | 19 | Alvaro Bautista | Barni Spark Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 125 |
| 11 | 55 | Andrea Locatelli | Pata Maxus Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 118 |
| 12 | 88 | Miguel Oliveira | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW M 1000 RR | 109 |
| 13 | 97 | Xavi Vierge | Pata Maxus Yamaha | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 95 |
| 14 | 95 | Tarran Mackenzie | MGM Optical Express Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 81 |
| 15 | 46 | Thomas Bridewell | Superbike Advocates | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 66 |
| 16 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW M 1000 RR | 61 |
| 17 | 87 | Remy Gardner | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 57 |
| 18 | 62 | Stefano Manzi | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 44 |
| 19 | 96 | Jake Dixon | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 23 |
| 20 | 60 | Michael van der Mark | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW M 1000 RR | 23 |
| 21 | 35 | Somkiat Chantra | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 16 |
| 22 | 45 | Tetsuta Nagashima | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 7 |
| 23 | 65 | Jonathan Rea | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 6 |
| 24 | 54 | Bahattin Sofuoglu | Motoxracing WorldSBK Team | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 4 |
| 25 | 76 | Loris Baz | MGM Optical Express Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 3 |
| 26 | 13 | Mattia Rato | Motoxracing WorldSBK Team | Yamaha YZF-R1 | 3 |
| 27 | 17 | Ryan Vickers | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | 1 |
