MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

WorldSBK 2026 is Ducati territory, so for MotoMatters.com subscribers and supporters, Steve English looked at how data sharing is helping the Bologna manufacturer as they adapt to a new bike this season. Nicolo Bulega is dominating, Yari Montella is impressing while Alberto Surra's strong results also prove just how successful Ducati has been.

The further into the 2026 WorldSBK season we go the harder it becomes to find new ways to explain Nicolo Bulega’s supremacy. Five rounds in, fifteen wins on the board, and the Italian’s supremacy at each round is now almost inevitable. Each weekend feels less like a battle for victory and more like a showcase of why Ducati’s leading man simply can’t be ignored for a MotoGP seat next year.

What makes for a successful weekend in WorldSBK? We're breaking it down each rider to see how their Expectation plays out against Reality during a race weekend...

5 Yari Montella (Barni Ducati)

Montella has qualified on the front row for three out of four rounds. The Italian has been impressive this season and qualifying will once again be key this weekend. The Czech circuit is one where it’s easy to make a mistake and for Montella, a rider who crashed a lot last year, this is a good test of the steps he’s made. Three top-seven finishes doesn’t sound like a great target for a rider who has finished on the podium this year, but to avoid mistakes all weekend would prove he is maturing.

7 Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Ducati)

Lecuona had the pace to challenge Bulega in Hungary but illness and penalties held him back. This weekend the Ducati won’t be as strong as it was in Balaton, but Lecuona needs to be the rider to stop the run of form for Bulega. Three podiums is the goal but winning a race is the target.

9 Danilo Petrucci (BMW Motorrad)

Most has been a great circuit for Petrux in the past. The BMW is a very different package to the Ducati he rode here in the past, but if he can qualify inside the top six like he did in Australia and Assen, he can score well this weekend. If Petrucci qualifies off the front two rows of the grid he can only aim for points finishes in each race.

The record books were rewritten at the fourth round of WorldSBK 2026. Nicolo Bulega continues his merry dance towards his first Superbike title. The Italian was made to work hard in Hungary at times, but ultimately Balaton Park became a Bulega Cakewalk. Four hat-tricks out of four. Four pole positions out of four. We’re watching a rider at his very best and one that would be as deserving a champion as any we’ve seen.

Iker Lecuona was his closest challenger but had a tough weekend. Some of it was circumstances working against him and some of it was of his own making. This was his chance to pick up a win. Andrea Locatelli was at the centre of a stewarding controversy, Independent Ducati’s were a talking point and bimota were once again on the limit in a weekend that left plenty to discuss as the WorldSBK season hits one third distance.

Believe in Bulega

We have never seen a start to a WorldSBK season like Nicolo Bulega this year. He is riding at an incredible level but there are still some naysayers

What makes for a successful weekend in WorldSBK? We're breaking it down each rider to see how their expectation plays out against reality during a race weekend...

5 Yari Montella (Barni Ducati)

A strong Superpole performance is critical for Montella. Qualifying on the front row of the grid at the opening two rounds, before technical issues in Assen, have shown his one lap speed. If the Spaniard can qualify on the second row he can aim for big points this weekend and beating his teammate, Alvaro Bautista. The Barni team will be hoping for a lot from Montella but if he can finish two races inside the top six this would be a great weekend.

7 Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Ducati)

Having set the pace on Friday Lecuona laid down a marker to his teammate Bulega. This weekend is the opportunity to win a WorldSBK race for the first time and anything less than that will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Spaniard. Bulega is the favourite for all three races but Lecuona can get a scalp at a track where he performed well aboard the Honda last year.

9 Danilo Petrucci (BMW Motorrad)

After the chaos of the wet conditions for Race 2 at the season opening opening round in Phillip Island the path to Portimão hasn’t exactly been smooth for the WorldSBK paddock. What was supposed to be a perfect opportunity for testing turned into another weather gamble. Riders were forced to chase narrow drying lines over the course of two days of testing as teams hoped for laps whenever they could find them. Two days of testing became three days and the paddock left with questions unanswered. The opportunity was there, but much like in racing, sometimes you’re looking for flashes of potential to gain an insight.

Everything changes for this weekend though. The weather gods are much more positively inclined, as five weeks on from the season opener we’re ready for Round 2 in Portima . It seems almost a legal requirement before this round to write cliches about the rollercoaster but this circuit is a modern masterpiece. The blind corners, the undulations and the fast sections makes it unique. Riders are on the edge for every lap and it can provide some great racing for the Superbike class.

The opening round of the Superbike World Championship revolved around two key issues: Nicolo Bulega's authority and the news that MotoGP will head to Adelaide in 2027. Given his performance, this was probably the last chance to see Bulega at Phillip Island and he made it count.

He didn't just win. He owned the weekend. Ducati flexed its muscles this weekend and a red-washed campaign feels inevitable, but with six different podium finishers this weekend it also shows that the fight behind Bulega won't be dull. WorldSBK can delver plenty of excitement this year.

Has Bulega outgrown WorldSBK?

Wet or dry, long race or Superpole, Nicolo Bulega set the standard at the opening round of the Superbike World Championship season.