#DutchWorldSBK Sunday Roundup

Posted April 21, 2026

Share this news with others...

Credits: WorldSBK

This weekend was another statement weekend from Nicolò Bulega at the TT Circuit Assen, as the rider combined Superpole Race control with race 2 dominance to extend his championship lead whilst also leading a historic clean sweep for the manufacturer.

Sunday began with the Superpole Race, where Bulega once again dictated proceedings from the front. Starting from pole position, he led every lap to secure victory, heading an Aruba.it Racing – Ducati one-two ahead of Iker Lecuona. Behind them, the fight for the podium was settled early, as Lecuona moved past ELF Marc VDS Racing Team’s Sam Lowes on the opening lap, allowing Ducati to lock out the top three positions.

Further back, Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati’s Álvaro Bautista delivered one of the standout rides of the sprint. Starting from the fourth row, he surged through the field to sixth by the end of the opening lap before continuing his charge. After closing in on Alex Lowes in the final stages, Bautista completed the move at Turn 1 on Lap 8 to secure a strong finishing position and improve his grid slot for Race 2.

There was also late drama in the fight for the final points position, where Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli recovered from a penalty to execute a decisive last-lap move on GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team’s Remy Gardner at the chicane, securing ninth place in the closing moments.

If the Superpole Race set the tone, Race 2 reinforced it. A fast move from Sam Lowes saw him take the early lead, outdragging Lecuona into Turn 1 before passing Bulega shortly after. For two laps, the British rider held firm at the front, but once Bulega and Lecuona moved ahead, the race settled into a familiar pattern.

From there, Bulega controlled the race with authority. By half distance, he had opened a two-second advantage, and the remainder of the race became an exercise in management – maintaining the gap and avoiding mistakes. At the chequered flag, the top three were evenly spaced, with around five seconds covering Bulega, Lecuona, and Lowes.

Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati’s Álvaro Bautista and Yari Montella. Credits: WorldSBK

Ducati’s strength extended well beyond the podium. The Barni Spark Racing Team duo of Álvaro Bautista and Yari Montella battled throughout the race inside the top five. At the same time, Team Goeleven’s Lorenzo Baldassarri climbed from the fourth row to secure sixth position, completing a Ducati presence across the top six.

Behind them, Yamaha’s Xavi Vierge and Andrea Locatelli finished seventh and eighth after a race-long battle with ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s Danilo Petrucci, while bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team’s Alex Lowes faded in the second half after initially running inside the top seven.

The results capped off a historic weekend for Ducati, with the manufacturer locking out the podium in all three races – a first in WorldSBK history – while also securing nine wins from nine races to start the season.

In the championship standings, Bulega’s third consecutive maximum points haul sees him extend his lead to 69 points over Lecuona. Sam Lowes moves into third overall and continues to lead the Independent standings, while Ducati’s dominance is further reflected in the Manufacturers’ battle, where they now hold a commanding 91-point advantage.

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Nicolò Bulega. Credits: WorldSBK

Bulega spoke about his success and his team’s hat-trick of 1-2s this weekend: “Honestly, it’s incredible. Right now, I have a very good feeling with the bike. I’m in a good situation mentally; in every condition, I know what I have to do. Like yesterday, when it started raining, I already knew how to manage it. For sure, I will make mistakes sometimes, but at the moment I’m really happy with my performance, with the team, and with the bike. It’s a very good moment for us. I just want to continue like this and enjoy it. In my career, I had many bad moments, so now I also understand better when it’s a very good moment like this. […] It’s very important to have a strong teammate. Because if you are always first with a big gap, at one point, you start to think that is the limit. But if your teammate is pushing you, you can always go a bit higher. I’m happy to have him; he’s a very strong rider. He already has experience in MotoGP, so for sure he’s not a bad rider. He pushes me to give something more every time.”

Aruba.it Racing – Ducati’s Iker Lecuona. Credits: WorldSBK

We asked Lecuona about how much confidence he has now for the rest of the season, from this round and Portimão: “A lot. I know I’m fast in Portimão, but I arrived there with almost no experience. Here, I know Nicolò is very fast. Then we go to tracks where maybe it suits me more. There are some tracks I don’t like much, or not so safe, but I can be fast there – and maybe that suits my style more than his. So let’s see. But for sure, his level this year is very high.”

ELF Marc VDS Racing Team’s Sam Lowes. Credits: WorldSBK

Lowes gave his own assessment of the weekend: “It was a good weekend overall. The two factory guys were just a bit stronger than me. They’re doing a better job in a few key corners, which makes the difference. But yeah, I’m not far off. I got a good start in the last race, which was nice, because last year that was something I struggled with – especially the first laps. So that’s a positive. All in all, I think third place was my maximum this weekend. I need to take a step to match their level, but I’m close. And to be fair, at my age, still learning, still improving, and enjoying it, and that’s a good feeling. Portugal was a bit tricky with my hand, but honestly, it didn’t affect me as much as I expected. I took some confidence from there into this weekend, so to come away with three podiums is really positive. But yeah, we need to keep working to close the gap to those two.”

Tissot Superpole Race Results