The Italian becomes the first rider in history to win both the WorldSSP and WorldSBK titles.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has been crowned 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion, securing his first WorldSBK title at Cremona with two rounds remaining in the season.
The achievement also adds Bulega’s name to Ducati’s long list of WorldSBK Champions, with the Italian becoming the tenth different rider to claim the Riders’ Championship with Ducati.
The Italian rider has produced a remarkable campaign aboard the Ducati Panigale V4 R, claiming 26 victories in 30 races. With 602 points, Bulega holds an advantage of 133 points over his closest challenger and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona.
The title makes Bulega the first rider in history to win both the WorldSSP and WorldSBK titles, adding the premier production-based motorcycle racing crown to the WorldSSP title he claimed with Ducati in 2023.
Bulega also becomes the first Italian WorldSBK Champion since Max Biaggi, who claimed the 2012 title, ending a 14-year wait for an Italian rider to return to the top of the championship.
Nicolo Bulega, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati: “I feel incredible. To win the title in Cremona, in Italy, with Ducati and in front of all my supporters is fantastic. I’ve become the first Italian to win a title with Ducati, and it’s very special. You know, when I was young, I was in this paddock because my dad had a team in World Supersport, and I was just a child walking around the paddock, watching my idols: Bayliss, Haga, Corser, a lot of incredible riders. And now I’m World Champion.”
Claudio Domenicalli, Ducati CEO: “We feel very proud. Of course, it feels very special, not only because Nicolo won the Championship, but because he dominated it. We had a new bike this year, and we were expected to improve our performance. The new Panigale proved to be very strong, and Nicolo did something really fantastic because the number of consecutive wins is truly incredible.”
From WorldSSP Champion to WorldSBK Champion
Bulega first made his mark in international racing in 2015, winning the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship before progressing through Moto3 and Moto2. He moved to WorldSSP in 2022, joining Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP, and quickly established himself as a title contender.
After finishing fourth in his first season, he dominated the 2023 campaign, winning 16 of 24 races to secure the WorldSSP crown.
Promoted to WorldSBK in 2024, Bulega made an immediate impact by winning his debut race at Phillip Island. He went on to claim six victories and 24 podiums in his rookie season, finishing second in the Riders’ Championship. He repeated that position in 2025, this time with 14 wins and 32 podiums from 36 races.
In 2026, Bulega went one step further, producing a remarkable campaign to secure the WorldSBK crown. The Italian has won 26 races so far this season, while also establishing a new benchmark of records with an all-time WorldSBK record of 25 consecutive race victories.
The unprecedented run underlined Bulega’s dominance throughout the campaign and secured his place among the championship’s record-breakers.
In 2027, Bulega will make the move to MotoGP, where he will look to make his mark in the premier class.
NICOLO BULEGA – WORLDSBK STATS
26 wins
30 podiums
9 poles
602 points
133 championship margin
1st WorldSBK title
1st rider to win both WorldSSP and WorldSBK
