- Bulega hunts historic hat-trick at Assen to equal record of 13 consecutive wins.
- Surging Bimota and BMW squads lead the chase to break Ducati’s perfect start.
- Wildcard Smits among Dutch talents as women’s series brings exciting title fight.
The Superbike World Championship is back with Round 3 action at the iconic TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands this weekend. And you don’t want to miss out on any of these rider storylines at “The Cathedral of Speed.”
You can’t say storylines and not begin with the man who’s on a mission to obliterate the opposition onboard his factory Panigale V4 R: Nicolo Bulega. The pre-season favourite has opened 2026 with back-to-back hat-tricks from pole. Another hattrick would level him with Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s WSBK record of 13 consecutive wins.
But Bulega won’t be counting his chickens too early after technical issues cost him P1 and P2 here last year. In hindsight, the 34 points lost that Sunday cost him his maiden championship by 13 points. So, he definitely wouldn’t want a Ducati déjà vu this time around. Yet, he remains the rider with the target on his back.
The best of the rest
The battle behind has several contenders. Bulega’s teammate, Iker Lecuona, will look to consolidate second in the championship after a hat-trick of second-places in the last round. And Assen has been a happy hunting ground for him, taking a first WSBK podium as Honda’s rookie in 2022. But can he go one better than what everyone’s expecting of him?
The Bimota, in the hands of both Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes, have looked sharp enough for the podium. That KB998 chassis is really pulling its weight to get the best out of the Kawasaki engine, something which Garrett Gerloff is missing right now on his Ninja ZX-10RR.
Assen is also where both Lowes brothers took their first pole and podium. Meanwhile, Miguel Oliveira’s trio of home podiums will have the BMW camp at ease for not needing ‘El Turco’ levels of brilliance to make the rostrum.
Andrea Locatelli will be hoping some Assen luck rubs off on him again. After all, this is where he became the only 2025 race winner not named Bulega or Razgatlıoğlu. But given Yamaha’s continued struggles, that might be a tall order.
Speaking of tall orders, Honda will need a significant step forward if they’re to finish in the top-10 for the first time in 2026. They remain the only manufacturer without one and are at the bottom of the championship.
The heroes of Assen
Michael van der Mark no longer being on the grid means that Dutch fans have more reason to follow Assen’s inaugural Sportbike race. Jeffrey Buis, Kas Beekmans, and Portimao Race 2 winner Loris Veneman will all be bolstered by the home support. They’ll also root for Dutch wildcard entrant Twan Smits, making his WorldSBK debut for Team Apreco onboard the Yamaha YZF R1.
Elsewhere, the Women’s Circuit Racing features the tightest championship scenario of all series scheduled to race at Assen. Spaniards María Herrera and Paola Ramos are locked together at 45 points, having taken a win and runner-up each. Fans would love a repeat of their frantic 0.053s photo-finish in Portimao’s Race 2.
Finally, never count out the old warhorses Jonathan Rea and Álvaro Bautista. They might not be at the peak of their powers, but have won 17 and seven races here, respectively. Rea will continue as Honda’s replacement for the injured Jake Dixon.
