The EICMA Italian Round might have crowned a brand-new MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion, but Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) taking the crown wasn't the only story worth telling. Round 10 at Cremona circuit quietly packed the weekend with record highs, maiden achievements, and some genuinely brilliant comebacks for riders across the paddock.
That said, let's talk about Jake Dixon (Honda HRC). Honda HRC has had a rough time of it with preseason injuries largely washing out what was supposed to be a massive 2026 campaign, but the Englishman is finally back to 100%. Things looked grim early on when a crash at Turn 10 left him stranded down in P18 after the Tissot Superpole session. But Dixon dug deep, charging through the pack in Race 1 to tie his all-time best WorldSBK finish. He didn't stop there, keeping the hammer down on Sunday to secure another P9—scoring his first-ever Superpole Race point—and capped off the weekend with a career-best P6. That machine crossed the line as Honda’s best result of the season and their highest finish since Jerez last year.
Over in WorldSSP, Filippo Farioli (VFT Racing) is quietly putting together a seriously impressive sophomore stride aboard his Yamaha R9. After breaking into the top ten in both races at Magny-Cours during his debut round in the class, the Italian took a massive leap forward at Cremona. He clinched his first front-row start in Superpole and followed it up with a stunning maiden podium in Race 1. While he missed out on the rostrum in Race 2, a P4 finish would have still stood as his personal best had he not already claimed silverware the day before. Keep an eye on him to mix it up with the leading Yamahas as the season wraps up over the final two rounds.
Meanwhile, the World Sportbike class brought its own dose of wild action. Belgian rider Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) clawed his way back to the podium for the first time since the second round of the year, taking a hard-fought P3 in Race 2. The Suzuki GSX-8R hasn't been giving Fleerackers and his teammate Jeffrey Buis the same kind of love it did early in the season, but expect them to throw everything at these last two rounds. Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) also turned heads, matching his best Superpole qualification before FIM WorldSBK Stewards slapped him with a penalty down to a P13 start for Slow Riding. Undeterred, he fought back to P6 in Race 1—his second-best result of the season—and followed it up on Sunday with a charging P4, missing out on the bronze medal by just 0.149s behind Fleerackers.
