What a stunning display of racing this is. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) has just pulled off his first-ever set of back-to-back victories in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, standing firm against his teammate in a tense 10-lap sprint.
Getting the holeshot into Turn 1, Lecuona led the way with teammate Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) right behind him. The factory Ducati pair ran different strategies, with Lecuona on the SCX tyre and Bulega opting for the SCQ. That choice brought a brilliant fight on Lap 3 when Bulega lunged under braking at Turn 11. But Lecuona answered straight back at Turn 13, retaking the lead and leaving his teammate half-a-second adrift. Crossing the line 2.005s ahead, Lecuona claimed a historic double. Bulega's runner-up finish keeps his championship hopes alive, meaning a top-five finish in Sunday's Race 2 will crown him the 2026 Champion.
Behind the Ducati duo, Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) delivered a fairytale ride to claim his first World Superbike podium. Surra, running the SCQ tyre, was locked in a fierce scrap for the rostrum with the SCX-shod machine of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team). Montella made his move on Lap 8 at Turn 11, but Surra hit back immediately through Turns 12 and 13, defending brilliantly to take third place by a margin of 5.314s.
Montella crossed the line just three tenths back in fourth, a result that officially clinches the 2026 Independent Teams' battle for the Barni Spark Racing Team. Behind them, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) lacked the pace to launch an attack and finished fifth at 6.540s, lining up right alongside his twin brother Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who finished just over a second behind the #14 in sixth with a 7.772s gap.
Further down the order, Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) drove a superb recovery from 10th on the grid to seventh, 9.386s off the win, securing a third-row start for Race 2. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) followed in eighth at 11.197s, while Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) produced another brilliant charge from 17th to take ninth at 13.294s.
It was not a clean race for everyone, unfortunately. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) and Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) saw their top-nine ambitions end in the gravel after a crash at Turn 7 when Baldassarri tried an inside move on Gerloff, an incident sent to the FIM WorldSBK Stewards for investigation. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) also suffered an early exit, crashing out at Turn 6 on Lap 2. Meanwhile, Bulega left his mark on the timing sheets with a fastest lap of 1’27.783s, setting a new lap record as the grid prepares for Race 2.
