Now that is how you close out a chapter. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) wrapped up his time in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship with a stunning drive to victory at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia, securing his 52nd win in the class and drawing level with the legendary Troy Bayliss in fifth on the all-time list. As an extra piece of history, Bulega also secures his status in folklore as the final Pirelli race winner as they depart the Championship after this event.
It was a chaotic 20-lap race dictated by late-falling rain, but the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati machine proved untouchable at the front. Iker Lecuona grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1 to lead initially, though Bulega ruthlessly answered back at Turn 6 on the opening lap to take over P1 and gradually eke out a gap. Lecuona crossed the line to finish second with a gap of 4.696s behind his teammate, sealing a dominant one-two punch for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati squad.
Behind them, the real drama unfolded over the final step of the podium. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) launched from sixth on the grid straight into a provisional podium spot on the opening lap. But Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), running as the #14, hunted him down as rain began to fall in the final quarter of the race. Lowes made his decisive lunge at Turn 5 on the final lap, and when Bautista tried to run wide at Turn 6, the Brit held firm to claim his 17th career podium by 1.349s over Bautista, crossing the line 13.349s off the lead.
Bautista was forced to settle for fourth, 14.928s behind Bulega, but still capped off a strong weekend in what could be his final race in WorldSBK by beating teammate Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) to fifth, with Montella finishing 17.192s back. Despite missing out on the rostrum, Bautista received a hero's welcome back in the box, and combined with Montella's hard-fought charge through the field—getting past Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) in the closing stages—the Barni Ducati team secured second in the Teams' Championship.
Further down the order, both Bimota riders cracked the top eight. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) converted a great start into a seventh-place finish, just ahead of teammate Axel Bassani in eighth. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) took ninth, while Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) rounded out the top ten. Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) narrowly missed out on a points finish by about a second, landing just behind Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha), who finished his final race in Yamaha blue as the manufacturer's lead and sole points-scoring rider ahead of a move to Barni Ducati for 2027. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) finished ahead of Honda HRC duo Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon to round out the points.
At the back of the field, every single rider managed to finish the race despite the tricky conditions. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) ended up 16th ahead of Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), while Loris Baz (MGM Optical Express Racing) took 18th after running just outside the top ten early on. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) placed 19th ahead of Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in what may be his final World Superbike appearance, with Twan Smits and Mattia Rato rounding out the Motoxracing WorldSBK Team runners at the flag.
