#ItalianWorldSBK Friday Debriefs

Posted September 26, 2026

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

Iker Lecuona set the pace on the opening day of the Italian Round at Cremona, topping both Friday sessions as teammate and championship leader Nicolò Bulega endured a difficult start to the weekend.

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders ended the day first and second in the combined classification, with Lecuona’s 1’28.108 putting him 0.254s clear of Bulega.

Bulega crashed at Turn 10 during FP1 before another incident at Turn 8 ended his afternoon. Despite the difficult day, the championship leader still finished second fastest and remains on course to potentially secure his first WorldSBK title in Race 1.

However, Bulega admitted that he was struggling to find the feeling he wanted from his Ducati.

“The feeling wasn’t the best. I wasn’t able to ride like I wanted to, so we are working to improve it.”

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

Meanwhile, Lecuona was consistently at the front throughout Friday and finished fastest in three of the four sectors. The Spaniard completed 46 laps across the two sessions, the most of any rider.

“I’m very happy with the job we did today,” Lecuona said. “The team did a really good job on the bike, and I did a really good job on track.”

The afternoon session saw Lecuona find another step with the Panigale V4 R after the team made changes following FP1.

“In the second session it was the first time I can say that I rode the Ducati the way that I wanted to.”

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

Ducati’s pace was evident throughout the combined classification, with the manufacturer occupying the top six positions.

Alberto Surra led the Independent riders in third, just 0.461s away from Lecuona, while Lorenzo Baldassarri and Sam Lowes completed the top five.

The afternoon session was interrupted by a red flag after Yari Montella and Remy Gardner crashed at Turn 1. Alex Lowes also fell at Turn 6 once the session resumed, before Xavi Vierge crashed at Turn 11 late in the session.

Garrett Gerloff was the leading non-Ducati rider in eighth, with the Kawasaki rider ending the day 0.805s from the top.

Surra completed the top three and was pleased with his progress at his home circuit, although he knows qualifying position will be important around the short Cremona layout.

“My goal is a podium this weekend, but we have to work step by step,” Surra said. “Tomorrow, Superpole will be more important because Cremona is a small circuit and passing is not very easy.”