WSBK: Bulega completes Balaton Park hat‑trick and extends historic winning run

F1 Grand Prix, GP Miami, Miami

Nicolo Bulega continued his relentless domination of the 2026 World Superbike season by completing a flawless hat‑trick at Balaton Park, securing his 12th victory from 12 races and extending his overall winning streak to 16.

The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider controlled Race 2 from the front, resisting sustained early pressure from teammate Iker Lecuona before easing clear to win by 2.5 seconds and further rewrite the WorldSBK record books.

Bulega launched cleanly from pole and immediately settled into formation with Lecuona, the pair breaking away from the field in the opening laps.

Although the #7 Ducati did not attack into Turn 1, Lecuona shadowed the Championship leader closely, keeping the gap under a second through the first third of the race. At the start of Lap 5 he had trimmed the margin to half a second, but Bulega’s pace advantage gradually asserted itself.

It was not until Lap 12 that Bulega finally stretched the gap beyond a second, lapping three‑tenths quicker than his teammate. Lecuona briefly closed back in on the following lap, but Bulega re‑established control immediately and began to edge away with characteristic precision. By the final laps the lead had grown to more than two seconds, sealing a victory that carried multiple statistical milestones.

Bulega’s 12th straight win to open the season is a new all‑time record, surpassing every previous start to a WorldSBK campaign. His 16th consecutive victory stretches back to late 2025, while his 32nd career win moves him into the all‑time top ten. The result also marks his 25th consecutive podium, equalling the record jointly held by Toprak Razgatlioglu and Colin Edwards.

For Lecuona, second place represented a ninth consecutive P2 finish—now the second‑longest streak in WorldSBK history, behind Jonathan Rea’s run of ten in 2019.

Behind the factory Ducatis, Yari Montella delivered a composed ride to third, capitalising on early‑race incidents to secure his second career WorldSBK podium and his first since Australia. The Barni Spark Racing rider had shown strong form throughout the Hungarian weekend and converted it into a well‑managed run to the rostrum, finishing almost 12 seconds behind Lecuona.

Lorenzo Baldassarri followed in fourth after an intense early battle with Alvaro Bautista, while Garrett Gerloff claimed fifth—his first top‑five finish since Aragón 2024—marking a welcome return to form for the Kawasaki rider.

Sam Lowes produced one of the standout recovery rides of the race, climbing from the fourth row to finish sixth. The Briton engaged in a spirited multi‑lap fight with both Gerloff and Alberto Surra, overtaking the Motocorsa Ducati rider at Turn 9 on Lap 11 and later pulling clear.

Surra continued his strong Hungarian weekend with seventh place, again demonstrating his growing consistency in the top ten. Tarran Mackenzie secured eighth, while the battle for ninth between Yamaha teammates Remy Gardner and Stefano Manzi went down to the final metres—Gardner prevailing by just 0.074s.

Bautista’s race unravelled after a difficult opening phase and a fierce scrap with Baldassarri. The Spaniard was handed a Long Lap Penalty for cutting Turn 9 without losing the required one second, dropping him out of the top ten. He eventually finished 11th, ahead of Xavi Vierge.

Bahattin Sofuoglu, Mattia Rato and Somkiat Chantra completed the points, while Yuki Kunii was the final classified finisher in 16th.

Andrea Locatelli crashed heavily at Turn 17 on Lap 2 and was later diagnosed with a left hip contusion and abrasion. Axel Bassani retired shortly afterwards with a technical issue, while Tommy Bridewell crashed at the Turn 9–10 chicane on Lap 5. Alex Lowes, who had been chasing Mackenzie for sixth, fell at Turn 10 on Lap 8.