Nicolo Bulega’s near-perfect 2026 campaign continued with his 24th WorldSBK race victory of the season at Magny-Cours.
A mid-race red flag, caused by a Turn 14 crash for Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates), reduced Race 1 to a 12-lap restart but Bulega remained in control after an early battle with his Aruba.it Racing – Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona to win by more than three seconds.
Race 1 Highlights
The opening stages were action-packed, with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Mattia Rato (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team), Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Bridewell all crashing before the red flag. Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) was also forced to retire from the restarted race after suffering a technical failure.
The red flag came after nine completed laps, with Bulega holding a lead of just five tenths over Lecuona. The Ducati teammates resumed their fight for victory when the race restarted, with Lecuona leading the opening lap before Bulega attacked at Turn 5 on Lap 2. The pair ran side by side through the fast change of direction at Turn 6, with Bulega holding the inside line and forcing Lecuona to lose momentum. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) immediately looked to take advantage at Turn 8, but Lecuona responded metres later to reclaim second position. From that point onwards, Bulega steadily extended his advantage and set a new lap record on his way to another victory.
Sam Lowes completed the podium and finished more than two seconds clear of the battle for fourth, strengthening his position in third place in the championship standings. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) held fourth for the opening third of the race before Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) attacked on Lap 6 at Turn 13. Montella completed the race in fourth.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) crashed on the warm-up lap but was able to take the start and recover to sixth position. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished seventh after starting the restarted race from the sixth row.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It’s fantastic to win after the long summer break. I’ve really missed this feeling. It was tough after the red flag because we had to make a second start and I knew Iker was strong. I told myself it was time to give it everything and go for the win. Restarts are always difficult because you need to stay fully focused through those opening laps. In the end, it worked out well. I still think we can improve the bike a little because even though I feel good it’s not 100% yet.”
P2 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I had bad luck with that red flag because I think I could have won this one. Nicolo had an advantage with the new tyre, as usual, but as the tyre is used I always get stronger. Before the red flag, I was on my best lap time and I was gaining so the race might have played out differently. I’m happy because I was keeping pace ahead of Sam because it’s not easy at this track where he’s fast and consistent. Finishing second here is no small thing. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
P3 – Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team)
“I’m really pleased with how today went. There was a small mistake in FP3 but I was happy with my lap in Superpole. Starting second is a good result, especially with the Superpole Race tomorrow in mind. The main race played out as I expected with the top two just a bit faster than me and I was third quickest overall. I need to keep working on a couple of areas, the pace is there in every sector, but I’m missing some consistency. I’ll go through the data tonight and try to bring it all together for tomorrow.”
Race 1 Results
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +3.118s
3. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +6.293s
4. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +8.786s
5. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +9.433s
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +10.050s
Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) 1’35.030s – new lap record
Superpole Highlights
Bulega secured the 2026 Tissot Superpole Award with a stunning lap that smashed the Magny-Cours lap record by six tenths of a second. It was his ninth pole position of the campaign, the 18th of his career, and Ducati’s first Superpole at Magny-Cours since James Toseland in 2003.
Sam Lowes bounced back from a Turn 15 crash in Free Practice 3 to secure his first front-row start since Round 3 at Assen. Lecuona completed the front row, with Ducati Panigale V4 machinery occupying the top five positions.
Alex Lowes was the leading non-Ducati rider in sixth, while Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) and Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) also qualified inside the top ten. Tommy Bridewell and Lorenzo Baldassarri both crashed during the 15-minute session, at Turn 15 and Turn 8 respectively, but still set the seventh and eighth-fastest times.
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’34.318s
2. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.168s
3. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.278s
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