History has a new name in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, and it belongs to Nicolo Bulega. Wrapping up his campaign in cinematic fashion at the Cremona Circuit on Sunday, the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati rider secured the Riders' Championship in the final race of the round, bringing the coveted title back to Bologna for the first time since 2023.
The #11 enters the record books as only the second Italian to ever claim a WorldSBK Championship, following in the footsteps of Max Biaggi (the #3, who took his second title in 2012 after winning his maiden 2010 crown on home soil at Imola). Bulega's absolute speed and consistency this season has left the paddock in awe, accumulating 26 race wins so far. With two rounds still remaining, he sits just shy of the previous regular-season win record of 27 set by Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) back in 2023, leaving open the very real possibility of smashing yet another benchmark.
Ducati Corse General Manager Gigi Dall'Igna was left entirely speechless by his countryman's sheer dominance. "It's unbelievable. The job that Nicolo did all year was amazing. The people around the box and around the bike did an unbelievable job. I can only congratulate them; it's impossible to do better. I'm proud; the bike and the team won all the races. Not only victories for the factory, but all the teams with it had incredible results," he said.
Reflecting on the journey, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali pointed out the adversity Bulega had to overcome before finding his home in the WorldSBK paddock. "He came here in a moment of complicated moment of his career. We, and the team trusted him. We won the WorldSSP title together. It's a remarkable achievement, and we're very excited for the next step as we found a solution to have a team for him in MotoGP. It's a very strong story for motorsport in general," Domenicali shared, adding that the brand-new Panigale has performed exceptionally well in its debut year.
Praise came just as strongly from inside the garage. Teammate Lecuona had nothing but absolute respect for the champion's execution on track. "100%, 10/10, he handled every race perfectly. He won practically every race every time he jumped on the bike; he won the races he needed to win. Now, he didn’t win to not take too much of a risk. I’m very happy for him. I said long ago that I’d be happy if he won because he deserved it. He needs to enjoy, and I’m sure that it will be a different story in Estoril," Lecuona remarked.
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Principal Cecconi admitted that such absolute supremacy surpassed even their boldest pre-season expectations. From the opening rounds at Phillip Island all the way to Cremona, the machine and rider combination conquered hot and cold conditions alike, even maintaining perfection at tracks where Bulega traditionally found it tough—barring a single interruption when Lecuona snapped his winning streak to relegate him to second. Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Manager Serafino Foti echoed the sheer joy of the outfit, celebrating a partnership that started with a WorldSSP title in 2022 and now culminates in a premier-class world crown before his upcoming return to the MotoGP paddock.
