WorldSBK 2026

Round Eight – Donington – Saturday

Iker Lecuona finally broke through for his maiden WorldSBK victory at Donington Park, defeating Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team-mate Nicolò Bulega in a gripping 23-lap contest that ended with Ducati machines filling the first six positions.

It was Lecuona’s first win in his 141st WorldSBK start — and his first victory in any World Championship category — ending a 140-race wait that ranks second only to Andrea Locatelli’s 154-race journey to the top step.

More significantly in the context of this extraordinary 2026 season, Lecuona became the first rider to beat Bulega. The championship leader had won the opening 21 races of the campaign and 25 WorldSBK races in succession before his team-mate finally found a way past him.

Bulega makes it nine poles in succession

Bulega had started Saturday by extending another remarkable streak, setting a new Donington all-time lap record of 1m24.410 to secure his ninth consecutive WorldSBK pole position.

That established a new championship record, surpassing Jonathan Rea’s sequence of eight poles in 2021, while also taking Bulega to 17 career poles alongside Doug Polen in seventh place on the all-time list.

Lecuona made him work for it, however, qualifying only 0.052 seconds behind, with Yari Montella completing an all-Ducati front row just 0.198 from pole.

Sam Lowes headed the second row, with Xavi Vierge fifth for Yamaha and Lorenzo Baldassarri sixth. Alex Lowes qualified seventh on the bimota, ahead of Axel Bassani and Tommy Bridewell, while Honda wildcard Jonathan Rea secured tenth.

Lecuona takes control at Redgate

Lecuona made the better launch from second and claimed the inside line into Redgate, with Bulega settling directly behind his team-mate. Sam Lowes climbed into third, ahead of twin brother Alex, while Montella was shuffled back to fifth during a busy opening lap.

Although Lecuona officially led every lap across the line, Bulega was rarely more than a few metres away.

Bulega briefly nosed ahead when Lecuona ran wide through the Old Hairpin on lap three, but the Spaniard immediately responded and retained the lead. Another attempt followed at the Melbourne Loop on lap five, only for Lecuona to square off the corner and emerge ahead once more.

The pair then settled into an astonishing rhythm. From laps two through 16, both riders completed 15 consecutive laps in the 1m25s. Bulega established a new race lap record with a 1m25.491 on lap 12, but Lecuona’s best of 1m25.520 was only 0.029 seconds slower.

Neither rider was able to build a meaningful advantage. Lecuona’s largest margin across the line during the first 19 laps was only 0.557 seconds, and for much of the race the gap hovered between two and four-tenths.

The sector data explained the stalemate. Bulega was fastest through Sector One, where his speed and direction changes suited the flowing opening section, while Lecuona set the fastest Sector Two and Sector Four times of the race.

That final sector proved decisive. Lecuona’s best was 0.093 seconds quicker than Bulega’s through the two Melbourne hairpins and Goddards, giving the Spaniard enough exit speed to protect himself each time Bulega attacked under brakes.

The gloves come off

The contest intensified over the final four laps.

Bulega closed to 0.153 seconds at the end of lap 20 and only 0.137 at the end of lap 21. He managed to edge ahead through the Fogarty Esses during that penultimate phase of the race, but Lecuona immediately retaliated at the Melbourne Loop.

Bulega tried the same area again on lap 22, with both riders running deep before Lecuona gathered up the Ducati and maintained the lead. The Italian launched one final attempt into the Melbourne Loop on the last lap, but again could not make the move stick.

Lecuona held his line through Goddards and reached the chequered flag just 0.165 seconds ahead, becoming the first rider to defeat Bulega since the winning streak began late in 2025.

It also ended a sequence of 24 successive WorldSBK races won from pole position. Bulega’s run of 35 consecutive podium finishes remains intact, but Donington is still the only venue on the current calendar at which he has not won.

Iker Lecuona – P1

“As you can imagine, I’m really, really happy. From the first lap to the last I was leading the race, and I had a really good battle with Nicolò.

“At the start it felt a bit strange because it was my first time leading for so many laps in a race. I didn’t have any reference in front of me, so it was quite tricky at first.

“I knew that if I arrived first to Sector Four, the victory was there. I’m really happy with Ducati and this gives me extra confidence. I want to enjoy this moment, think of my family and dedicate this victory to my daughter Luna.”

Nicolò Bulega – P2

“Second isn’t a bad result, and congratulations to Iker because he deserved this victory. He and his team simply did a better job than us today.

“I tried as hard as I could, but today I was at 90 per cent and Iker was at 100 per cent. In the last sector, with the two hairpins, I was missing acceleration on the exits. I had to recover that time under braking, but I was always too far back to make a clean overtake.”

Six Ducatis fill the top six

The Ducati domination extended well beyond the two factory machines.

Montella recovered from losing ground on the opening lap to claim third. The Barni rider moved past Alex Lowes on lap six and relieved Sam Lowes of third on lap nine before gradually escaping the British pair.

Montella finished 6.711 seconds behind the leaders but almost five seconds clear of Sam Lowes, securing his ninth WorldSBK podium and fourth in succession. Eight of those nine podiums have now been third places behind the Bulega-Lecuona pairing.

Yari Montella – P3

“It was a good Saturday. I think this weekend we have been faster than ever because our pace in Race One was also good.

“It was a shame that on the first lap I had to battle with the home riders, the Lowes twins, because I lost some time. I stayed calm and told myself that we needed to build the race lap by lap and come back to the podium. That’s exactly what happened.”

Sam Lowes finished fourth, while British Superbike wildcard Tommy Bridewell charged from ninth on the grid to fifth. Bridewell was already sixth at the end of the opening lap and moved into fifth on lap six, equalling his best result of the season.

Baldassarri completed Ducati’s extraordinary top-six sweep. The GoEleven rider had fallen as low as tenth on the opening lap but methodically worked his way forward, eventually passing Alex Lowes for sixth on lap 19.

Alex Lowes therefore finished as the first non-Ducati in seventh, only 0.439 seconds behind Baldassarri. Garrett Gerloff produced his best result since Aragon with eighth, ahead of Axel Bassani and leading Yamaha rider Xavi Vierge.

Gardner storms from 21st to 12th

Remy Gardner made one of the strongest recoveries of the race after a difficult Superpole left the Australian 21st on the grid.

Gardner gained six positions on the opening lap and continued moving forward to finish 12th, only 0.173 seconds ahead of Andrea Locatelli. His nine-place improvement was the biggest of any classified rider.

Álvaro Bautista’s race was compromised when he ran off at the Melbourne Loop during the early stages. The Barni Ducati rider rejoined at the back and recovered to 14th, ahead of Danilo Petrucci.

Jake Dixon finished 18th on his Honda, while Rea’s wildcard appearance ended in retirement after 19 laps.

Bulega retains a commanding championship lead with 454 points, 116 ahead of Lecuona, while Montella sits third on 186.

Ducati’s sixth successive position sweep extended the manufacturer’s run to 26 consecutive WorldSBK victories and produced a record-extending 13th consecutive podium lockout. Ducati can secure the Manufacturers’ Championship on Sunday, while Aruba.it Racing – Ducati also has an opportunity to wrap up the Teams’ Championship.

WorldSBK Race One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap	Speed
1	I. Lecuona	Duc	32m58.594	276.9
2	N. Bulega	Duc	+0.165	279.1
3	Y. Montella	Duc	+6.711	279.1
4	S. Lowes	Duc	+11.668	276.9
5	T. Bridewell	Duc	+14.272	277.6
6	L. Baldassarri	Duc	+16.830	275.5
7	A. Lowes	Bim	+17.269	274.8
8	G. Gerloff	Kaw	+22.662	279.1
9	A. Bassani	Bim	+24.127	276.9
10	X. Vierge	Yam	+26.842	274.8
11	M. Oliveira	BMW	+28.689	277.6
12	R. Gardner	Yam	+30.693	274.8
13	A. Locatelli	Yam	+30.866	276.2
14	A. Bautista	Duc	+33.631	281.3
15	D. Petrucci	BMW	+36.349	277.6
16	S. Manzi	Yam	+38.226	274.8
17	B. Sofuoglu	Yam	+40.228	272.0
18	J. Dixon	Hon	+40.995	274.1
19	M. Rato	Yam	+47.244	272.0
20	S. Chantra	Hon	+58.659	274.1
RET	J. Rea	Hon	RET	275.5

WorldSBK Superpole Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap	Speed
1	N. Bulega	Duc	1m24.410	276.2
2	I. Lecuona	Duc	+0.052	276.2
3	Y. Montella	Duc	+0.198	275.5
4	S. Lowes	Duc	+0.298	278.4
5	X. Vierge	Yam	+0.830	274.8
6	L. Baldassarri	Duc	+0.904	276.2
7	A. Lowes	Bim	+0.963	272.7
8	A. Bassani	Bim	+0.985	274.1
9	T. Bridewell	Duc	+0.986	274.8
10	J. Rea	Hon	+1.019	273.4
11	G. Gerloff	Kaw	+1.058	274.8
12	M. Oliveira	BMW	+1.070	276.9
13	D. Petrucci	BMW	+1.142	274.8
14	A. Locatelli	Yam	+1.253	271.4
15	A. Bautista	Duc	+1.325	276.2
16	S. Chantra	Hon	+1.337	274.1
17	J. Dixon	Hon	+1.407	270.7
18	B. Sofuoglu	Yam	+1.511	273.4
19	S. Manzi	Yam	+1.964	270.7
20	M. Rato	Yam	+1.993	271.4
NQ	R. Gardner	Yam	–	271.4

WorldSSP Race One

Booth-Amos delivers home Triumph as Bayliss takes seventh

Tom Booth-Amos celebrated his 100th WorldSSP appearance with an emphatic home victory at Donington Park, recovering from a six-position grid penalty to win Race One for PTR Triumph Factory Racing.

The penalty dropped Booth-Amos from the front row to ninth, and he completed the opening lap in that position as pole-sitter Can Öncü established himself at the front.

Öncü led the opening nine laps, initially shadowed by championship leader Albert Arenas and Aldi Mahendra. Booth-Amos, meanwhile, began methodically working through the pack.

The British rider climbed to seventh on lap two and sixth on lap four, before closing rapidly on the leading group. On lap eight he passed Roberto Garcia at the Fogarty Esses and then dispatched Jaume Masia to take fourth.

Booth-Amos moved past Arenas at the Old Hairpin on lap nine and began lap ten only 0.627 seconds behind Öncü. He then cleared Mahendra and Öncü during a decisive sequence to take the lead.

Once in front, Booth-Amos immediately changed the shape of the race. He established a one-second advantage within a lap and continued stretching the margin, setting the race’s fastest lap of 1m28.919 along the way.

That pace was no one-lap flourish. Booth-Amos recorded three laps in the 1m28s and remained largely in the low 1m29s through the second half of the race, eventually winning by 2.400 seconds.

The sector sheet showed the Triumph rider was fastest through both the opening and final sections of the lap. That combination allowed him to attack through Donington’s flowing first half while still protecting himself through the slower Melbourne section.

The result was Booth-Amos’ second WorldSSP victory and his first since Phillip Island in 2025, delivering a memorable home win for both rider and British manufacturer.

Tom Booth-Amos – P1

“It’s emotional to win at home. I’ve won races before, but winning at home is something different. I’ve had podiums here at Donington but never a win. It was really special to see the whole crowd behind me because I’ve never experienced that before. I’ve had a lot of doubt at times, so it’s nice to prove people wrong and show what I can do. The bike feels good, and if we can finish in the top three in the championship that would be pretty amazing.”

Arenas strengthens his title grip

Arenas delivered another composed championship performance to finish second.

The Spaniard spent the entire race inside the leading group and resisted Jeremy Alcoba over the closing laps, securing his fifth consecutive podium and extending his championship advantage to 68 points.

Alcoba completed the podium after an impressive recovery. A poor start dropped the Kawasaki rider from third on the grid to eighth, but he steadily worked his way back into contention.

By lap 14 Alcoba had reached fourth, and two laps later he displaced Öncü for third. He finished only 0.461 seconds behind Arenas to secure his first podium — and Kawasaki’s first WorldSSP podium — of the season.

Garcia finished fourth after spending much of the race in the leading group, while Öncü faded to fifth after leading the opening nine laps.

Philipp Öttl came from tenth to sixth on the Ducati, only 0.370 seconds ahead of Australian Oli Bayliss.

Bayliss recovers to seventh

Bayliss made a sharp start from eighth on the grid and completed the opening lap in seventh, following PTR Triumph team-mate Booth-Amos through the early traffic.

The Australian then lost ground during the opening phase and slipped as low as 11th on lap two. He stabilised in tenth and began rebuilding his race from there.

Bayliss moved into ninth on lap ten, eighth on lap 13 and seventh with three laps remaining. He took the chequered flag 6.521 seconds behind his victorious team-mate and less than four-tenths behind Öttl.

His best lap of 1m29.240 came on lap eight and was only 0.321 seconds slower than Booth-Amos’ race benchmark. Bayliss also reached 250 km/h, the second-highest speed recorded during the race.

The sector analysis showed particularly strong performance through the middle of the circuit, with Bayliss fifth-fastest in Sector Two and sixth in Sector Three. More time was lost through the final sector, where Booth-Amos was particularly effective.

Nevertheless, seventh represented Bayliss’ fifth top-ten result across the past four rounds and lifted him to 71 championship points.

Valentin Debise finished eighth after an error dropped him from the leading group, with Mahendra ninth after surviving a major moment at Redgate during the closing stages. Filippo Farioli completed the top ten.

Masia’s championship challenge suffered another blow when he crashed at Goddards on lap 12 while fighting in the leading group. He remains third in the standings but is now 92 points behind Arenas.

Booth-Amos’ fastest lap earns him pole position for Sunday’s second race, giving the home rider an opportunity to complete a Donington double.

WorldSSP Race One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap	Speed
1	T. Booth-Amos	Tri	28m23.078	249.4
2	A. Arenas	Yam	+2.400	247.1
3	J. Alcoba	Kaw	+2.861	249.4
4	R. Garcia	Yam	+4.151	248.3
5	C. Oncu	Yam	+5.689	243.8
6	P. Oettl	Duc	+6.151	251.2
7	O. Bayliss	Tri	+6.521	250.0
8	V. Debise	ZXM	+10.015	248.8
9	A. Mahendra	Yam	+10.185	248.3
10	F. Farioli	Yam	+12.604	249.4
11	A. Zaccone	Duc	+12.772	248.3
12	D. Aegerter	Kaw	+13.458	248.3
13	C. Perolari	Hon	+13.745	248.3
14	S. Jespersen	Duc	+14.729	249.4
15	M. Ferrari	Duc	+16.677	250.0
16	M. Casadei	Duc	+19.833	248.8
17	R. De Rosa	QJM	+20.322	247.7
18	J. Whatley	Duc	+20.826	248.3
19	O. Vostatek	Tri	+24.968	250.0
20	O. Konig	Tri	+28.964	246.6
21	Y. Okamoto	Yam	+29.165	247.7
22	L. Taccini	Duc	+34.083	250.0
23	B. Jimenez	Duc	+36.429	249.4
24	H. Garzo	Duc	+37.696	247.7
25	L. Stapleford	Duc	+40.742	249.4
26	A. Kofler	Yam	+47.636	246.6
27	A. Giombini	MV	+58.302	245.5
28	A. Carrasco	Hon	+59.632	245.5
29	L. Mahias	Yam	+1 Lap	247.1
NC	R. Rossi	Duc	NC	244.3
RET	J. Masia	Duc	RET	248.8
RET	M. Ramirez	QJM	RET	247.7
RET	J. Cretaro	MV	RET	247.1
RET	F. Caricasulo	ZXM	RET	246.0

WorldWCR Race One

Herrera wins dramatic Donington opener as Relph crashes early

Tayla Relph’s opportunity to turn an excellent qualifying performance into a strong WorldWCR result ended only seconds after the lights went out at Donington Park.

The Australian had qualified fifth-fastest but was promoted to fourth on the Race One grid following Pakita Ruiz’s penalty. Relph crashed at Turn One before completing the opening lap and was unable to rejoin.

It was a bitter conclusion after Relph had shown genuine front-running speed throughout Friday, but the result leaves her 13th in the championship on 39 points heading into Sunday’s second race.

The drama continued only a few corners later when championship leader María Herrera and title rival Beatriz Neila made contact at Turn Six.

Herrera had retained the lead at the start, with Neila attempting to challenge around the outside. The pair collided bar-to-bar as they approached the corner, sending Neila into the gravel and out of the race.

The FIM WorldSBK Stewards judged Herrera responsible for the incident and imposed a double long-lap penalty for irresponsible riding.

Despite serving both penalties, Herrera remained in control and went on to win by 3.744 seconds.

Herrera’s pace overcomes double penalty

Herrera’s speed before the penalties had already given her the breathing room she needed.

After completing the opening lap in 1m43.273, the Spaniard immediately dropped into the 1m39s. She set laps of 1m39.825, 1m39.458 and a race-fastest 1m39.357 across the next three tours.

Paola Ramos initially remained within a second of the leader, but she too received a double long-lap penalty after being judged to have jumped the start.

Ramos’ first penalty extended Herrera’s advantage beyond four seconds. Herrera then completed her own two long laps on consecutive tours but still emerged with almost four seconds in hand.

The championship leader returned to the 1m39s once the penalties had been served and controlled the final laps to claim her seventh victory of the season.

Her victory, combined with Neila’s retirement, increased the championship margin from 24 to 49 points. Herrera will secure the 2026 WorldWCR title on Sunday if she finishes Race Two with at least a 50-point advantage — effectively, she needs to score one more point than Neila.

María Herrera – P1

“I felt good already in FP1 and that feeling continued into the race. I don’t know why I’m so fast here at Donington, but it’s a track I like. When I saw the double long-lap penalty, I was surprised. I knew I had a small lead, so I tried to manage the situation, but it wasn’t easy. The contact with Beatriz was accidental. I didn’t even know she had crashed until the end of the race. It’s a pity and I didn’t want that, but I had the line and she tried to overtake at a point where I was faster. For Race Two, I think we have the potential to win again, but I will be thinking about the championship too.”

Beatriz Neila – DNF

“I’m happy with how I performed this weekend because I felt super good and was ready to have a great race and enjoy the battle. For me, it’s not fair to lose a race like this because I think it was a dangerous action from María. Tomorrow I will give it my all, as always.”

Ramos holds second despite jump-start penalty

Ramos recovered from her own double long-lap penalty to finish second, securing the fifth podium of her rookie campaign.

The Spanish rider set a best lap of 1m39.411, only 0.054 seconds slower than Herrera’s race record, and rebuilt her advantage over the fierce group fighting for third after completing the penalties.

Muklada Sarapuech emerged from that battle to claim the final podium position. The Thai rider had started eighth but steadily moved forward before passing Roberta Ponziani at the Fogarty Esses on the final lap.

Sarapuech crossed the line 0.275 seconds ahead of Ponziani, collecting her second successive podium and the second WorldWCR rostrum of her career.

Sara Sanchez finished fifth after starting 15th, while home rider Chloe Jones fought through the discomfort of her qualifying injuries to cross the line fifth on the road.

Jones was subsequently penalised one position for exceeding track limits on the final lap, promoting Sanchez and leaving Jones sixth.

Yvonne Cerpa edged Astrid Madrigal for seventh, with only 0.162 seconds separating them at the line.

Ruiz produced the recovery ride of the race. Forced to start 24th after her Friday yellow-flag infringement, she gained 15 positions to finish ninth, ahead of Emily Bondi and Justine Pedemonte.

Herrera now carries 206 points into Sunday’s title-deciding Race Two, with Neila on 157 and Ramos third on 117. Relph will have another opportunity to demonstrate the pace she showed in qualifying, but her Saturday race was over before it had properly begun.

WorldWCR Race One Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap	Speed
1	M. Herrera	Yam	20m07.228	200.4
2	P. Ramos	Yam	+3.744	200.7
3	M. Sarapuech	Yam	+5.313	202.6
4	R. Ponziani	Yam	+5.588	204.2
5	S. Sanchez	Yam	+6.191	204.2
6	C. Jones	Yam	+6.300	204.5
7	Y. Cerpa	Yam	+6.803	205.3
8	A. Madrigal	Yam	+6.965	203.0
9	P. Ruiz	Yam	+17.212	202.6
10	E. Bondi	Yam	+17.365	202.2
11	J. Pedemonte	Yam	+17.436	202.2
12	I. Carreno	Yam	+23.980	201.9
13	L. Vieillard	Yam	+24.456	202.6
14	N. Rivera	Yam	+24.563	203.0
15	A. Barale	Yam	+24.810	203.8
16	D. Dal Zotto	Yam	+25.065	206.9
17	K. Hand	Yam	+25.410	204.5
18	L. Michel	Yam	+25.639	204.5
19	A. Ourednickova	Yam	+25.959	204.9
20	M. Dobbs	Yam	+33.845	201.9
21	O. Ongaro	Yam	+1m11.145	199.3
22	J. Ritaine	Yam	+1m11.704	198.9
RET	B. Neila	Yam	RET	198.9

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2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar

……Date…….	Country	Circuit	WorldSBK	WorldSSP	WorldSPB
20-22 Feb	AUS	Phillip Island GP	X	X
27-29 Mar	POR	Portimao	X	X	X
17-19 Apr	NED	TT Assen	X	X	X
1-3 May	HUN	Balaton Park	X	X
15-17 May	CZE	Most	X	X	X
29-31 May	ESP	MotorLand Aragon	X	X	X
12-14 Jun	ITA	Misano – Marco Simoncelli	X	X	X
10-12 Jul	UK	Donington Park	X	X
4-6 Sep	FRA	Nevers Magny-Cours	X	X	X
25-27 Sep	ITA	Cremona	X	X	X
9-11 Oct	POR	Estoril	X	X
16-18 Oct	ESP	Jerez – Angel Nieto*	X	X	X

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2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List

Rider	Bike	Team
I.Lecuona	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
N.Bulega	Duc	Aruba.It Ducati
D.Petrucci	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
M.Oliveira	BMW	ROKiT BMW Motorrad
A.Locatelli	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
X.Vierge	Yam	Pata Maxus Yamaha
Y.Montella	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Bautista	Duc	Barni Spark
A.Lowes	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
A.Bassani	Bim	bimota by Kawasaki
S.Chantra	Hon	Honda HRC
J.Dixon	Hon	Honda HRC
S.Manzi	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
R.Gardner	Yam	GYTR GRT Yamaha
S.Lowes	Duc	ELF Marc VDS
L.Baldassarri	Duc	Goeleven
T.Mackenzie	Duc	MGM Racing
G.Gerloff	Kaw	Kawasaki WorldSBK
A.Surra	Duc	Motocorsa
M.Rato	Yam	Motoxracing
B.Sofuoglu	Yam	Motoxracing
A.Iannone	Duc	Cainam Racing

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