Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) put on an absolute masterclass at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, romping to his milestone 50th MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship victory during the Pirelli Spanish Round. What a machine. The #11 reached the half-century mark in just 106 races, making him the fastest rider to ever hit that margin and shattering the previous benchmark held by Troy Bayliss, whose 50th win came in his 150th race. Bulega now sits merely two wins away from matching three-time Champion Bayliss entirely, while also equalling a long-standing Jonathan Rea record by securing his 34th podium of the season.
At the lights out, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) launched brilliantly and immediately tested Bulega's resolve at Turn 1. The British rider held the pressure through the opening lap, but once 'Bulegas' found his rhythm, he started stretching out a gap. Behind them, Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) suffered a sluggish start and had to immediately fend off Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) before Montella got tangled up in a scrap with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team).
By Lap 7, Sam Lowes had built a cushion of over a second to Lecuona while trailing the leader by more than 1.5 seconds. Lecuona looked to be wrestling with his machine, running wide at Turn 12 to let Montella through, though the Spaniard bit right back up the inside at Turn 13. Lecuona eventually settled his pace to bring home third place, securing his 32nd rostrum and keeping his podium streak alive. Sam Lowes crossed the line to secure his 15th podium in WorldSBK.
Further back, Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) staged a stunning charge from ninth on the grid. After cleanly passing Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) and Alex Lowes on Laps 10 and 12 at Turn 1, Bautista hunted down his teammate Montella, executing an aggressive move at Turn 5 on Lap 18 to swipe fourth. Montella had to settle for fifth, which crucially secured him third place in the standings.
Alex Lowes crossed the finish line in eighth after a fierce scrap with the Independent Ducatis. Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) took ninth, with Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) rounding out the top ten, finishing 2.4 seconds adrift of Bridewell. Further down the order, Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) kept his points-scoring streak alive in 11th, barely holding off Loris Baz (MGM Optical Express Racing) by just 0.150s. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) grabbed 13th by a razor-thin 0.009s over Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), with Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) sweeping up the final point.
Not everyone saw the checkered flag on a frantic afternoon. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) saw his fight for the top ten end in dramatic fashion when his machine suffered a fiery fate on Lap 8, forcing the #97 to pull off track instantly. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) also bowed out early, bringing his bike into the pits at the end of Lap 9.
