History is knocking on the door in Italy as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rolls into the Cremona Circuit for the 2026 EICMA Italian Round. Nicolo Bulega of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad is standing right on the edge of the crown, looking to write his name into the record books as only the second Italian in WorldSBK history to take the World Superbike title.
Bulega actually has a shot at wrapping up the championship as early as Race 1, provided he outscores his teammate Iker Lecuona by 15 points. More realistically, the coronation could come on Sunday in the Tissot Superpole Race, so long as he outscores Lecuona by three points across Race 1 and the Superpole Race combined. The Italian comes armed with serious pedigree at the venue, having swept a hat-trick here in 2025 alongside pole positions in both previous visits. Lecuona's record across six races at the circuit shows four top-six finishes with a best result of P4 in Race 1 back in 2024, alongside two retirements.
Behind the championship leader, a fierce scrap for bronze is unfolding with just 49 points covering Yari Montella of the Barni Spark Racing Team, Alex Lowes of the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, and Sam Lowes of the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team. Montella holds a 46-point cushion over Alex Lowes, though his Cremona form last year yielded finishes of P14, P14, and P16. Alex Lowes took a Superpole Race podium here in 2024, while his brother Sam claimed a P4 in the same session last year.
The Italian contingent will have plenty of home heroes chasing glory. Lorenzo Baldassarri of Team GoEleven sits 27 points back from Sam Lowes in the fight for third, though he lacks prior WorldSBK or WorldSSP experience at the track. He holds a two-point margin over Axel Bassani of the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team, whose best Cremona memory is a P5 in Race 1 of 2024 aboard the Kawasaki ZX-10RR. Alberto Surra of Motocorsa Racing returns from injury after showing top-five pace last time out, and while #67 lacks World Championship experience at Cremona, he boasts plenty of training laps at his home track. Andrea Locatelli of Pata Maxus Yamaha aims to rediscover his best form after four previous top-ten finishes at the venue, while Danilo Petrucci of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team continues his farewell tour on the track where he claimed his only WorldSBK wins back in 2024 with Barni Ducati. Rookies Stefano Manzi of the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team and Mattia Rato of the Motoxracing WorldSBK Team also join the home-soil charge.
Elsewhere on the grid, two-time World Superbike Champion Alvaro Bautista of the Barni Spark Racing Team arrives with five podiums from six races at Cremona and an uncertain future. Remy Gardner of the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Garrett Gerloff of the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team, Miguel Oliveira of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, Xavi Vierge of Pata Maxus Yamaha, and Honda HRC pair Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra round out a busy field.
Changes hit the paddock for the final three rounds of 2026 as Bahattin Sofuoglu exits the Motoxracing WorldSBK Team for QJMOTOR in WorldSSP, making way for Dutch rider Twan Smits. Smits, who currently sits third in the EuroMoto Superbike championship, steps up after a wildcard appearance with the Yamaha R1 at Assen. Meanwhile, Tommy Bridewell of Superbike Advocates and Tarran Mackenzie of MGM Optical Express Racing face crucial medical checks on Thursday ahead of the weekend.
