Championship Leader Continues Historic Winning Streak During Another Commanding Weekend in the Czech Republic

Nicolo Bulega’s relentless charge towards the 2026 Superbike World Championship continued at Autodrom Most after the Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider completed yet another flawless weekend in the Czech Republic.

Despite coming under sustained pressure from teammate Iker Lecuona across both Sunday races, Bulega once again delivered under pressure to secure another double victory and extend one of the most remarkable winning streaks seen in modern WorldSBK history.

The Italian remains unbeaten this season and has now stretched his consecutive race-winning run to 19 victories after another near-perfect performance at one of the calendar’s most physically demanding circuits.

Most has rapidly become known as one of WorldSBK’s most aggressive venues, combining heavy braking zones, sharp direction changes and constant traction demands that punish even the smallest mistakes. Yet throughout the weekend Bulega once again looked composed, precise and incredibly consistent aboard the Ducati Panigale V4 R.

While Bulega ultimately maintained control, teammate Iker Lecuona delivered arguably his strongest WorldSBK weekend to date, regularly matching the championship leader’s pace and forcing the Ducati garage into some of the closest internal battles of the season so far.

Further behind, Yari Montella continued his impressive rise with another podium-filled weekend, while Garrett Gerloff, Lorenzo Baldassarri and the bimota pairing of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani all remained heavily involved in the battle immediately behind the dominant Ducati machines.

A total weekend attendance of 53,942 spectators witnessed another memorable chapter in what is increasingly becoming Bulega’s championship procession.

Superpole Race Begins With Early Drama

Bulega Recovers Immediately After Turn One Error

The Superpole Race initially looked set to become one of Bulega’s more difficult races of the season after an unusual mistake at the opening corner.

Starting from pole position, the Ducati rider carried slightly too much speed into Turn 1 and momentarily lost momentum, allowing teammate Iker Lecuona to seize the opportunity and move into the lead.

For a brief moment, it appeared Lecuona might finally challenge Bulega’s perfect run.

The Spaniard immediately pushed hard at the front and looked extremely aggressive through Most’s stop-start opening sector, where his late-braking style repeatedly allowed him to gain time under heavy deceleration.

However, Bulega responded instantly.

Only one lap later, the Italian reclaimed the lead with a decisive move into the first corner, outbraking his teammate and immediately settling back into his trademark rhythm at the front.

Once back ahead, Bulega gradually began increasing the pace.

By half race distance the gap between the Ducati teammates had started to open, with Bulega consistently producing low 1:30 lap times while maintaining complete control over tyre degradation and rear grip management.

At the chequered flag, the margin had stretched to nearly two seconds.

Lecuona Continues To Close The Gap

Spaniard Produces Career-Best Ducati Weekend

Although victory once again escaped him, Iker Lecuona emerged from Most with enormous confidence after proving capable of genuinely fighting Bulega throughout the weekend.

The Spanish rider repeatedly matched the championship leader’s pace in both race trim and qualifying conditions, demonstrating how rapidly he has adapted to the Ducati package this season.

Lecuona’s riding style remains noticeably different from Bulega’s smoother approach.

Where Bulega focuses heavily on corner speed and clean exits, Lecuona attacks aggressively on the brakes and forces the bike deep into slower corners.

That contrast created fascinating battles between the teammates throughout the weekend, particularly in the opening sectors where Lecuona’s confidence under braking repeatedly allowed him to pressure the championship leader.

Most importantly for Ducati, the Spaniard’s pace ensured the Aruba factory squad remained comfortably ahead of the rest of the field once again.

After several difficult seasons aboard less competitive machinery earlier in his WorldSBK career, Lecuona now appears increasingly capable of becoming a genuine long-term title contender.

Montella Continues Outstanding Breakthrough Season

Independent Ducati Rider Secures Another Triple Podium Weekend

Yari Montella once again underlined his growing reputation as one of the standout riders of the 2026 season by completing another podium hat-trick for Barni Spark Racing Team.

The Italian converted his front-row starting position into third place in the Superpole Race before repeating the result again during Race 2 later in the afternoon.

Montella’s consistency throughout the weekend proved especially impressive considering the demands of the Most circuit, where tyre management and rear grip preservation become increasingly difficult over race distance.

While unable to match the outright speed of the factory Ducati pairing, Montella comfortably controlled the gap behind him and secured valuable championship points with another mature and disciplined performance.

His weekend total of 39 points represents the strongest single-round score of his WorldSBK career so far.

The result also moves him firmly into third place in the championship standings ahead of several far more experienced riders.

Race 2 Produces Another Tight Ducati Battle

Bulega Holds Off Constant Pressure Across 22 Laps

Race 2 followed a remarkably similar pattern to the Superpole Race, although the pressure from Lecuona remained intense throughout the full 22-lap distance.

Bulega launched cleanly from pole position and immediately established himself at the front, but Lecuona remained within striking distance for the entire race.

At no stage did the gap between the two Ducati riders extend beyond one second.

The Spaniard repeatedly shadowed his teammate and remained ready to capitalise on even the smallest mistake.

However, Bulega once again delivered an almost flawless race performance.

Lap after lap, the championship leader maintained consistent low 1:30 pace while carefully managing rear tyre wear around Most’s abrasive layout.

That consistency ultimately proved decisive during the closing laps.

While Lecuona remained close enough to maintain pressure, he never found a genuine overtaking opportunity as Bulega controlled the race expertly from the front.

The final margin at the chequered flag stood at just over half a second.

It marked another Ducati one-two finish and extended Aruba.it Racing Ducati’s remarkable streak of consecutive one-two results to twelve races.

Baldassarri And Gerloff Lead Chasing Pack

Tight Midfield Battles Continue Behind Dominant Ducati Pair

Behind the leading Ducati trio, several close battles unfolded throughout the top ten.

Lorenzo Baldassarri produced another highly impressive ride for Team GoEleven, eventually securing fourth position after moving past Alberto Surra midway through the race.

The former Moto2 race winner continues adapting impressively to WorldSBK machinery and has steadily become one of the championship’s most reliable independent riders.

Garrett Gerloff also continued his strongest weekend of the season for Kawasaki WorldSBK Team.

The American spent much of Race 2 locked in a fierce battle with Alberto Surra before finally securing fifth place during the closing laps.

Gerloff looked particularly strong through Most’s faster middle sector where the Kawasaki package appeared increasingly stable during rapid direction changes.

Further back, the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team pairing of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani completed another solid points-scoring race in seventh and eighth positions.

Tommy Bridewell Delivers Best Weekend Of The Season

Superbike Advocates Team Shows Clear Progress

One of the more encouraging performances away from the podium battle came from Tommy Bridewell.

The British rider secured his best results of the 2026 campaign so far with eighth place in the Superpole Race before adding tenth in Race 2 for the Superbike Advocates team.

Bridewell appeared increasingly comfortable throughout the Czech weekend and consistently improved pace as the sessions progressed.

At a circuit as demanding as Most, securing two strong finishes represented an important confidence boost both for rider and team.

Bulega’s Championship Advantage Becoming Overwhelming

Historic Winning Streak Continues Growing

The statistics surrounding Bulega’s 2026 season are rapidly becoming extraordinary.

Following another perfect weekend, the Italian now holds a commanding 95-point lead over teammate Iker Lecuona in the championship standings.

He has also now achieved:

• 19 consecutive race victories
• Five consecutive race hat-tricks
• A new WorldSBK record for consecutive podium finishes
• Twelve consecutive Aruba Ducati one-two finishes

The consistency has arguably been even more impressive than the outright speed.

Even at circuits traditionally considered less favourable to his riding style — including Most and Balaton — Bulega has continued delivering near-flawless performances.

At this stage of the season, rivals are already running out of opportunities to significantly reduce the championship gap.

Debise Wins Last-Lap Supersport Thriller

French Rider Completes Perfect Czech Weekend

WorldSSP once again delivered one of the weekend’s closest races as Valentin Debise secured a dramatic double victory for EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory.

The French rider fought intensely with Can Oncu throughout the race before eventually securing victory by just 0.056 seconds after a thrilling final-lap battle.

Oncu once again showed exceptional speed for Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing and now has five consecutive podium finishes despite still searching for his first victory of the season.

The Turkish rider has now led 43 laps during the 2026 campaign without converting any of them into race wins.

Oli Bayliss meanwhile secured Triumph’s second podium of the season after benefiting from late drama involving Tom Booth-Amos and Lucas Mahias.

Both riders crashed at Turn 1 during the final lap while fighting for podium positions.

Race 2 Results

1. Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory)
2. Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.056s
3. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +2.095s
4. Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) +2.835s
5. Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) +2.855s
6. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) +5.940s

Championship Fight Tightens In Supersport

Arenas Suffers Costly Non-Score

The championship picture in WorldSSP shifted dramatically following a disastrous race for Albert Arenas.

The championship leader crashed out following contact with Jaume Masia at Turn 20, ending his remarkable streak of top-five finishes.

Masia later received a Long Lap Penalty for causing the incident before crashing himself later in the race.

As a result, Debise has now moved into second position in the standings and sits only 19 points behind Arenas heading into the next round.

Torres Wins Wild Sportbike Battle At Most

Final-Lap Drama Decides Chaotic Race

The Sportbike category once again produced spectacular racing as Antonio Torres secured victory following an intense 12-lap battle involving multiple lead changes and crashes.

The race featured constant action from start to finish.

An opening-lap incident involving Jeffrey Buis and Loris Veneman immediately eliminated several contenders, while late drama at Turn 20 on the final lap removed both Kas Beekmans and Xavi Artigas from contention after contact during the fight for victory.

Torres eventually emerged victorious ahead of Bruno Ieraci and championship leader David Salvador after one of the closest finishes of the weekend.

The result allows Salvador to extend his championship lead to ten points while Kawasaki further strengthened its advantage in the manufacturers’ standings.

Race 2 Results

1. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI)
2. Bruno Ieraci (CM Triumph Factory Racing) +0.126s
3. David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) +0.442s
4. Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) +0.700s
5. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) +3.766s
6. Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph) +3.794s

Ducati’s Grip On WorldSBK Tightens Further

Rivals Continue Searching For Answers

Another weekend at Most only reinforced Ducati’s growing superiority across the 2026 WorldSBK season.

While Lecuona’s progress provides the factory team with increasingly competitive internal competition, the broader field still appears unable to consistently challenge the Ducati Panigale V4 R over full race distance.

The bike’s combination of braking stability, acceleration and tyre management continues proving especially effective at circuits requiring heavy traction and aggressive corner exits.

With Bulega now holding a huge championship lead and Ducati controlling virtually every race weekend, attention is increasingly shifting toward whether any manufacturer can realistically halt the Italian’s march toward a maiden WorldSBK crown.