Round 10 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is heading to the Cremona Circuit for the EICMA Italian Round. While Italy has hosted 81 WorldSBK rounds in total, Cremona Circuit is one of the newer tracks on the calendar, hosting its debut season in 2024 and remaining a fixture ever since.
Brembo engineers classify the 3.768 km counter-clockwise circuit as moderately demanding on the brakes, giving it a difficulty rating of three out of five. Riders use their brakes 10 times for a total of 25.9 seconds per lap, dealing with four heavy braking zones and a back straight that stretches nearly a kilometre long. The circuit features a unique stadium-style layout where fans sit on the interior, providing some of the best vistas on the calendar to watch the action.
The most challenging, and the most enjoyable corner is Turn 1,
The ultimate test for the braking system arrives at San Martino Turn 11. Riders fly down the preceding back straight, hitting speeds of almost 304km/h before grabbing the brake lever and scrubbing speed down to 106km/h. It takes just 4.2 seconds across 228 metres, subjecting riders to 1.5g of deceleration over one of the longest braking distances in the entire Championship. To achieve this, riders apply 4.7kg of pressure to the brake lever, which spikes the brake fluid pressure to 10.1 bar.
Controlling these powerful WorldSBK machines takes distinct setups, and the riders have plenty of options. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) has always favored an index brake master cylinder, a choice he stood alone in making back in 2024. This year, however, riders like Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) and his teammate Iker Lecuona have joined him in using it. Meanwhile, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) all choose the thumb brake master cylinder instead. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) takes yet another path, relying on a traditional rear brake pedal to slow his Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who won both races at home during his 2025 WorldSSP Championship-winning season alongside one of two victories in 2024, is now navigating his rookie WorldSBK season aboard his Yamaha R1. In his view, mastering Turn 1 is everything. After charging down the 400-metre start-finish straight, riders tip their superbikes into a left-hander that flows immediately into the Turn 2 Curva del Lago.
“The most challenging, and the most enjoyable corner is Turn 1,” Stefano Manzi said. “A fast left-hander where you need to carry speed and be as quick as you can to set up the rest of the lap. You have to be very focused and precise to carry as much speed as you can. The fact it’s a fast one also makes it enjoyable because it has a nice flow.”
The action at Cremona gets rolling on Friday, September 25th, as the 2026 season heads toward its final rounds.
