#CzechWorldSBK Saturday Reflections

Posted May 17, 2026

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A red flag interrupted Saturday’s opening WorldSBK race at Autodrom Most. Still, it wasn’t enough to stop Nicolò Bulega from continuing his dominant form as the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider converted pole position into victory ahead of teammate Iker Lecuona and Barni Spark Racing Team’s Yari Montella.

Bulega led from the start before an early red flag was triggered following a heavy Turn 13 crash for Danilo Petrucci. The Italian was later diagnosed with a fracture of the coccyx and ruled out for the remainder of the weekend.

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

When the race restarted, Bulega once again controlled the opening stages but faced constant pressure from Lecuona throughout the 21-lap encounter. The Spaniard briefly moved ahead on lap 15 as the Aruba.it Racing teammates battled for victory, before Bulega responded in the closing laps to secure another win at Most.

Bulega said, “It was a very tough race because Iker was really strong today. I wasn’t 100% comfortable with the bike, and I was missing some feeling in the slower corners. I also had a small issue with the front brake, and at this track, the braking is very critical. We need to check everything and try to improve for tomorrow. I really enjoyed the battle with Iker, but in the last three laps, once I overtook him, I just focused on my pace and tried to forget the small problems and push as hard as possible to create a gap.”

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

Lecuona’s second-place finish marked one of his strongest performances of the season, with the Spaniard able to consistently challenge Bulega across race distance despite struggling with tyre wear in the closing stages.

Lecuona said, “We had a really good pace, honestly, much faster than I expected. It was difficult to overtake because we have the same bike, but we have completely different riding styles. Nicolo is stronger in some places, and I am stronger in other areas. The main issue for me was that I had to push a lot on the tyre in the opening laps to recover the gap to Nicolo. In the final laps, I started to struggle with the tyre, and I almost crashed a couple of times trying to stay close to him. On the last lap, I told myself it was better to bring home second place. I’m really happy with my performance because it’s the first time we really fought together in a race from start to finish, and that is a very positive step.”

Barni Spark Racing Team’s Yari Montella. Credit: WorldSBK

Completing an all-Ducati podium, Barni Spark Racing Team rider Montella secured third place after qualifying on the front row. The Italian attempted to stay with the leading duo during the opening laps before settling into a comfortable rhythm to secure another strong result.

Montella said, “In Superpole, I was able to push well and finish very close to the front. I was only two-tenths away from P1, and that’s a positive result for me. I knew the race would be different because the pace changes a lot over race distance. I tried to follow Nicolo and Iker for the opening laps, but during the race, I struggled with movement on the bike. This made things more difficult for me, and in the end, it was important to finish the race. We collected data and can understand what we can improve for tomorrow.”