#AragónWorldSBK Sunday Round-Up

The Aragón Round marked the halfway point of the 2026 WorldSBK season, but there was no change to the story at the front as Nicolò Bulega completed a sixth consecutive hat-trick weekend. The championship leader was forced to fight hard for victory in the Tissot Superpole Race before controlling proceedings in Race 2 to lead home teammate Iker Lecuona and secure yet another one-two finish for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati outfit.

In the morning’s ten-lap Superpole Race, Bulega took a different strategic approach by opting for the harder SC0 rear tyre while many of his rivals selected the softer SCX compound. The decision initially appeared costly as the Italian slipped as low as fifth position during the opening laps, but as the race progressed, his tyre choice paid dividends.

After fighting past Lorenzo Baldassarri and Alberto Surra, Bulega closed on the leaders and eventually emerged victorious following a dramatic late-race duel with Lecuona and Sam Lowes. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati teammates traded positions repeatedly before Bulega pulled clear in the closing stages and sealed victory with a new lap record on the final lap.

Race 2 proved more straightforward for the championship leader. Although Lecuona briefly challenged during the opening lap, Bulega remained in control throughout the 18-lap encounter and officially led every lap on his way to another victory. The gap between the teammates never stretched beyond 1.5 seconds, but Bulega always appeared to have an answer whenever Lecuona threatened.

Bulega said, “It was very important to win here. I’m really happy because the weekend was difficult with these high temperatures. It was not easy to ride the bike without making mistakes. I want to thank my team because we have an incredible relationship. We are fast at every track, even at circuits where my riding style doesn’t suit the circuit perfectly, and we are still able to be competitive. We are in a fantastic moment with 22 victories in a row but now we don’t have to think about the past because we have to think about the next one.”

Lecuona once again established himself as Bulega’s closest challenger across the weekend, leading seven laps in the Superpole Race and remaining firmly in contention throughout Race 2. Despite finishing second in every race at Aragón, the Spaniard left encouraged by his ability to consistently close the gap to his teammate.

Lecuona said, “It wasn’t bad and we were P2 all weekend. That is really positive for us. During Race 2 I made some mistakes and lost a lot of time at the beginning but when I found my rhythm I was fast with the used tyre. I felt comfortable and I felt faster but, again, I made a small mistake in Turn 7 and I went wide and lost around three tenths in one lap. That made the difference. In any case, I need to be happy. Every time the gap to Nicolo gets smaller and every time I get closer. Every time we are able to fight more.”

Completing a clean sweep of podium finishes was Sam Lowes, who secured third place in all three races for the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team. The British rider spent Race 2 comfortably in third position while also playing a starring role in the Superpole Race battle, briefly leading and fighting for victory before eventually settling for another podium result.

Lowes said“To get three podiums on the weekend is a really nice reward for the team and myself because we have two tough weekends before this. I really enjoyed the Superpole Race because we had a big fight throughout it. I went with a soft tyre and there was a good battle with Iker but Bulega was really fast at the end. I think it was still a nice race to watch for everybody. I led one lap and I was able to fight so that’s nice. I’m really looking forward to the next race we’ve tested in Misano and can’t wait to get there.”

Tissot Superpole Race Results

1. N. Bulega
2. I. Lecuona
3. S. Lowes
4. A. Surra
5. A. Lowes
6. A. Bassani
7. T. Bridewell
8. Á. Bautista
9. Y. Montella
10. X. Vierge
11. M. van der Mark
12. G. Gerloff
13. R. Gardner
14. S. Manzi
15. H. Soomer
16. B. Sofuoğlu
17. M. Ruben-Rinaldi
18. S. Chantra

Retired

1. L. Baldassarri
2. A. Locatelli
3. T. Mackenzie

Race Two Results

1. N. Bulega
2. I. Lecuona
3. S. Lowes
4. A. Lowes
5. A. Bassani
6. G. Gerloff
7. Á. Bautista
8. T. Bridewell
9. A. Surra
10. M. van der Mark
11. S. Manzi
12. R. Gardner
13. S. Chantra
14. J. Dixon
15. T. Mackenzie
16. H. Soomer
17. B. Sofuoğlu
18. M. Ruben-Rinaldi

Retired

1. L. Baldassarri
2. X. Vierge
3. Y. Montella
4. A. Locatelli