In front of his home crowd, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) wrapped up his first Superbike World Championship with a trio of second-place finishes at the Italian Round. Bulega’s form throughout the season has been almost peerless, with 26 victories, podium finishes in all 30 races and an insurmountable 133-point advantage over his teammate, Iker Lecuona.
Race 2 Highlights
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from pole position and led all 23 laps to complete a perfect weekend. The Spaniard claimed his first career hat-trick, leading every lap across all three races at Cremona.
Bulega had to resist an early charge from Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) through the first sector. He then settled into second, with around half a second separating him from Lecuona before the gap extended to one second.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) started from fourth and attacked Alberto Surra on Lap 3 to move into the podium positions. Following his Race 1 crash, Montella bounced back strongly to claim his 14th podium of the campaign.
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) finished fourth as the leading non-Ducati rider after 23 laps. Lowes was under pressure from his brother Sam (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who crashed at Turn 13 at half distance. With three top-six finishes across the weekend, Alex Lowes enjoyed a consistent Cremona Round.
Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) secured a career-best WorldSBK result in sixth position. The rookie has endured a difficult campaign while continuing to recover from a serious wrist injury, but showed strong form at Cremona to score points in all three races. It was Honda’s strongest weekend of the season.
Championship Highlights
Bulega wrapped up his first Superbike title with six races to spare and holds a 133 point lead over Lecuona.
Montella’s hold on third in the standings now stretches to 43 points after a difficult weekend that featured four crashes.
Barni Spark Racing Team’s results this weekend secured the Independent Teams Championship.
P1 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It’s been a perfect weekend. What we found on Friday with the bike gave me confidence on the bike. I rode gently, I rode strong, I can fight. And then I won the two races on Sunday. It was great because I didn’t expect to have that much of a difference with Nicolò. I need to be honest that Nicolo, of course, his focus was on finishing the race and winning the championship, but even like that, he struggled a lot while I was doing very well. I’m enjoying it a lot, so thanks to the team because they did a really good job.”
P2 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“This weekend was quite emotional because there was the possibility of closing out the title, and it was difficult to manage all the pressure, but in the end we did it and I’m very happy. Especially after Friday, when I crashed twice. So it’s been difficult. Before the race today, I was thinking, ‘Okay, no crash, don’t do anything stupid, just bring the bike to the chequered flag.’ I had to think a lot today, and at the end, after the chequered flag, I started to cry. It was a very special moment.”
P3 – Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
“After the difficulties of this weekend, it was important to have a Sunday like that. We need to meet the target because we need to be in the fight for third in the Championship, and at the moment we cannot make a lot of mistakes. At the end, this morning I started in the Superpole Race trying just to build my confidence with the bike, and in the end I was fighting for third again. In Race 2 I wanted to try to fight for the podium, and we did it. I’m so, so proud of myself and proud also of my team.”
Race 2 Results
1. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +8.590s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +12.724s
4. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) +13.914s
5. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +17.159s
6. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) +20.917s
Championship Standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 602 points
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 133
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 333
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 376
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) 383
6. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) 409
Superpole Race Highlights
Lecuona led all 10 laps across the finish lap to claim his first Tissot Superpole Race victory. Nicolo Bulega opting for the softer SCQ rear tyre, the pressure was constant in the opening stages of the race. Bulega briefly led the race for two corners with a move into Turn 11.
Lecuona though showed his determination by responding immediately and diving down the inside at the final corner to reclaim the position. From that point onwards, the Spaniard steadily extended his advantage and maintained a consistent pace to cross the line more than two seconds clear of Bulega.
Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) converted his front-row start into a maiden WorldSBK podium. The 22-year-old faced constant pressure throughout the 10 laps with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) eventually making his move into Turn 11 in the closing stages. Surra though held his line, and his nerve, to sweep back past at the following corner to reclaim third position and secure his first podium in the Superbike class.
1. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.005s
3. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) +5.314s
