REPORT: Bulega holds off Lecuona to secure his 25th victory of the season
The Italian is getting closer to the absolute record for wins in a single season by winning the Tissot-Superpole Race.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won the Tissot-Superpole Race of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship ahead of his teammate Iker Lecuona, moving even closer to the 2026 title. The Italian had to fight hard at the start of the race on the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, while the battle for the podium had its share of twists and turns during the Acerbis Round of France.
Nicolo Bulega, Aruba.it Racing - Ducati, Magny-Cours Superpole RACE
BULEGA VS. LECUONA, AND A PODIUM DECISION DECIDED BY THE FINEST
As in Race 1, Bulega grabbed the holeshot at the start of this ten-lap race, with Lecuona overtaking Sam Lowes. Then, at Turn 5, the Spaniard passed Bulega to take the lead. On lap three, the Italian took his revenge at the same spot, regaining the lead under braking. A lap later, Lecuona attempted a late dive on Bulega, but ran wide, leaving himself open to Sam Lowes who capitalized to take second place; Lecuona retaliated a few corners later. Bulega then built a lead of over a second and a half on his teammate, before controlling the race to his 25th victory of the season, just two shy of the all-time record of 27. Lecuona crossed the finish line second, his 21st runner-up finish of the year, an unprecedented total for a single season, but Sam Lowes crashed on the final lap at Turn 3, which promoted Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) to the podium. The Briton was taken to the medical center after his crash and is due to start from tenth place in Race 2.
SURRA EQUALS ITS BEST RESULT, BRIDEWELL BUILDES BACK
Montella was initially battling for fourth place with rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) before overtaking his compatriot at Turn 13. Surra's fourth place equals his best result of the season. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) crossed the line fifth, while Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) recovered from his heavy crash in Race 1 with a sixth-place finish, one place shy of his best WorldSBK result.
YAMAHA DUEL FOR EIGHTH PLACE
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) had an up-and-down race. Initially relegated outside the top 10, "Balda" fought his way back to seventh place, securing a third-row start for Race 2. Behind him, three Yamahas battled for eighth. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) crossed the line in eighth after a forceful maneuver on Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in the final chicane. Vierge was then exposed to his teammate Andrea Locatelli, who missed out on a top-nine finish by just 0.029 seconds.
The Top 9 (Tissot Race-Superpole), full results here :
- Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
- Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.073s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +5.400s
- Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) +6.773s
- Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +7.325s
- Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) +10.269s
- Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) +12.775s
- Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +14.518s
- Xavi Virgo (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +14.891s
Fastest lap: Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) 1'34.750, new lap record
