- Bulega dominates WorldSBK with six wins and a perfect points haul.
- Ducati makes history in Portugal while Japanese manufacturers struggle.
- Record crowds witness Bulega’s masterclass; next up iconic Assen.
Just two rounds into the new WorldSBK season, and that’s the question on everyone’s lips. Not ‘beat’, that’s way too much to ask.
Two poles. Six wins out of six races. A perfect haul of 124 points. Nicolò Bulega has done exactly what was expected of him in Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s absence.
His narrowest margin of victory so far? A breezy 1.882s in the Portuguese Superpole Race. And how dare his factory teammate Iker Lecuona snatch Race 2’s fastest lap off him?
As Bulega led all 50 laps in Round 2, Ducati also became the first team to take P1 and P2 in Superpole and all three races in a single weekend since the three-race format began. They also became the first manufacturer to reach 150 1-2 finishes and 1200 podiums.
Given their struggles in MotoGP, the Italian powerhouse would be happy to just put things on auto-pilot and hand Bulega the reins onboard the revamped Panigale V4 R. Good thing there’s no such thing as an Aprilia in WorldSBK to trouble them.
They’d also take positive note of Lecuona stringing three runner-up finishes to hone the supporting act after a difficult first round. Sam Lowes has also been solid, recording five P5s.
The best of the rest
Elsewhere, Miguel Oliveira’s new life with production motorcycles was helped by the Portimão home track. Triple podium would put BMW at ease, for now.
If the adaptation curve smoothens, there’s no reason to not target P2 in the standings. Oliveira will hope he doesn’t need to wait until Estoril, his second home circuit and the penultimate round, to keep the momentum going.
Bimota are also firmly in the running for the ‘next-best’ category, with Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes both in the top-five. If you thought it’s weird to see the Kawasaki-backed team outgunning the only ‘real’ Ninja ZX-10RR on the grid, well, you’re not alone.
Will the Japanese rise again?
And once again, it’s the Japanese cup bringing the rear end of the constructors’ championship. Yamaha would be relieved to lead both Kawasaki and the dead-last Honda.
Remember Somkiat Chantra? The Thai rider hasn’t been helped by Honda’s gap to its competitors. But hey, at least he has scored his first point in his third race. It was only last year when it took him 10 MotoGP races to do that.
Somehow, he was still outscored by the G.O.A.T. Jonathan Rea, who made a brief comeback with Honda at Portimao. Admittedly, he “wasn’t ready” and struggled physically to complete race distances.
Ultimately, Ducati domination hasn’t diminished the admiration for the series. In fact, the 82,132 fans that showed up in Portimão was the highest WorldSBK attendance in over 10 years.
The action picks up again at Assen’s Cathedral of Speed from April 17-19. With 10 more rounds to go, this should be a record-breaking season that throws in a big surprise or two, and you don’t want to miss any of it.
WorldSBK 2026 World Championship Standings (after Round 2)
| Pos | Rider | Team Name | Points |
| 1 | Nicolò Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 124 |
| 2 | Iker Lecuona | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati | 68 |
| 3 | Axel Bassani | Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | 60 |
| 4 | Miguel Oliveira | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | 56 |
| 5 | Alex Lowes | Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | 48 |
| 6 | Sam Lowes | ELF Marc VDS Racing Team SBK | 43 |
| 7 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | Team GoEleven Ducati | 40 |
| 8 | Danilo Petrucci | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | 31 |
| 9 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team | 30 |
| 10 | Álvaro Bautista | Barni Spark Racing Team | 27 |
| 11 | Andrea Locatelli | Pata Maxus Yamaha | 25 |
| 12 | Garrett Gerloff | Kawasaki WorldSBK Team | 24 |
| 13 | Tarran Mackenzie | MGM Racing Performance Ducati | 19 |
| 14 | Xavi Vierge | Pata Maxus Yamaha | 15 |
| 15 | Alberto Surra | Motocorsa Racing Team | 12 |
| 16 | Remy Gardner | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | 12 |
| 17 | Stefano Manzi | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | 7 |
| 18 | Tetsuta Nagashima | Team Honda HRC | 7 |
| 19 | Jonathan Rea | Team Honda HRC | 4 |
| 20 | Tommy Bridewell | Superbike Advocates Racing | 3 |
| 21 | Somkiat Chantra | Team Honda HRC | 1 |
| 22 | Bahattin Sofuoğlu | Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team | 1 |
| 23 | Ryan Vickers | Team Honda HRC | 1 |
| 24 | Mattia Rato | Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team | 0 |
