Bulega breaks Bautista's record with 29th win of the season as Ducati takes Estoril one-two
Nicolò Bulega dominated the Estoril weekend for his 29th win of the season, breaking the record Álvaro Bautista set in 2023 in the same Aruba.it Racing – Ducati colours.
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What Happened
Nicolò Bulega dominated the Superbike World Championship weekend at Estoril, taking his 29th win of the season and breaking the record that Álvaro Bautista set in 2023 riding in the same colours. Teammate Iker Lecuona lacked the pace to challenge him for victory, but finished second in all three races at the circuit. That secured the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team's 29th one-two finish of the season.
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A new record, breaking the mark Álvaro Bautista set in 2023 in the same colours.
“I'm very happy with how things went this weekend. I've rediscovered the feel for the bike that I was missing in Cremona. I enjoyed Race 2, and I'd like to thank my team for their hard work, especially after the Superpole Race. Now we're off to Jerez, which is one of my favourite tracks.”
“It was quite a tricky round. Our aim is always to fight for the win, but we didn't manage it on this circuit. We'll need to work out what we were missing compared to Cremona and work to get that same feeling back.”
For Bulega the weekend marked a return to the feeling he had been missing at Cremona, and he thanked his team for their work, particularly after the Superpole Race. Lecuona, who finished second in all three Estoril races, said the round was tricky and that he and the team must identify what was missing compared with Cremona. The series now heads to Jerez, a track Bulega names among his favourites.
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
Earlier this week, our coverage noted that Bulega arrived at Estoril needing two wins from the final six races to set the all-time WorldSBK wins record, with every 2026 WorldSBK title already decided and Bulega newly crowned champion. We also reported that Bulega was fastest in both Friday practice sessions at Estoril, with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati teammate Iker Lecuona third, just 0.084 seconds behind.
- Bulega chases all-time WorldSBK wins record as Ducati target consecutive-win mark at Estoril
- Bulega fastest in both Friday practice sessions at Estoril, Lecuona third for Ducati
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Bulega's 29th victory of the season overtakes the record set by Álvaro Bautista in 2023, writing another chapter of Superbike history for Ducati. It also delivered the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team its 29th one-two finish of the season, with Iker Lecuona second in all three races at Estoril. The championship now moves to Jerez.
Terms in This Story
- one-two finish
- A race result in which two riders from the same team finish first and second.
- Superpole Race
- A short sprint race in the Superbike World Championship run before the weekend's main races.
- Superbike
- A category of production-based motorcycle racing; the Superbike World Championship is its top series.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.