WSBK: Bulega dominates record‑breaking Superpole at Balaton Park as Lecuona hits trouble

Nicolo Bulega extended his extraordinary qualifying form in the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship by taking a commanding pole position at the Balaton Park Circuit, securing his fifth consecutive Superpole and doing so in emphatic, record‑breaking fashion. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo reports from the Balaton Park Circuit.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider delivered a stunning 1’38.094s on his opening run, a lap so strong that no one came close to threatening it for the remainder of the session.

The Championship leader finished a remarkable six tenths clear of his nearest rival, while teammate Iker Lecuona could only manage fifth after a difficult session. The result places Bulega in prime position for both Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race at the Motul Hungarian Round.

From the moment the field rolled out for their first timed laps, Bulega asserted total control. His initial 1’38.101s already smashed the all‑time lap record at Balaton Park, putting him 0.6s ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri and nearly eight tenths clear of Miguel Oliveira. But the Italian wasn’t done: on his second flying lap, he improved again to a 1’38.094s, beating last year’s pole time by more than a full second.

While Bulega was in a league of his own, his teammate Iker Lecuona struggled to produce a representative lap in the first stint. The Spaniard was the first rider back on track for the second run, but even with clear air he could not match the pace of the front row contenders.

The second runs were chaotic, with yellow flags appearing in quick succession following crashes for Danilo Petrucci at Turn 1 and Stefano Manzi at Turn 11. These interruptions prevented most riders from improving, but Baldassarri and Yari Montella managed to thread their laps through the disruptions.

Baldassarri’s 1’38.702s secured him second place, 0.608s behind Bulega, giving the Team GoEleven rider his first front‑row start in WorldSBK. Montella followed closely, lapping just 0.625s off pole to take third, marking his third front‑row start of the season — missing out only at Assen.

Bulega’s fifth consecutive pole puts him alongside Carl Fogarty’s 1993 streak, the fifth‑best run in WorldSBK history.

Miguel Oliveira looked set for a strong qualifying result but had a key lap deleted, forcing him to settle for fourth, matching his best Superpole performance.

Lecuona, meanwhile, endured a frustrating session. The Spaniard appeared to struggle with stopping the bike and had to build confidence gradually, eventually posting a 1’38.878s to take fifth, ending his run of front‑row starts.

Andrea Locatelli completed the second row in sixth, finishing as the top Yamaha rider with a 1’38.916s.

Sam Lowes will start from seventh, marking the first time he has failed to qualify inside the top five since Most last season. His 1’38.938s places him at the head of row three, where he will be joined by rookie sensation Alberto Surra. The Motocorsa Racing rider continued his impressive form after finishing fifth on Friday, qualifying eighth ahead of two‑time Champion Alvaro Bautista in ninth.

Alex Lowes narrowly missed out on a third‑row start, ending up tenth by just a tenth of a second.