Nicolò Bulega is the 2026 FIM Superbike World Champion. The Italian sealed the title on home soil at Cremona aboard the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Panigale V4 R, capping an extraordinary campaign he had dominated from the opening round in Australia.
The title caps off a fantastic weekend for the team, with Iker Lecuona adding to the celebrations after completing a perfect round. The Spaniard topped Superpole before going on to win both races, sealing the first hat-trick of his WorldSBK career.
For Aruba Racing and Ducati, the success delivers their third and seventeenth WorldSBK Riders’ titles respectively, adding another prestigious chapter to a project built on performance, consistency and teamwork.
Bulega’s crown completes a remarkable season for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, which had already secured the Teams’ title, while Ducati wrapped up the Manufacturers’ Championship thanks to the combined results of Nicolò and team-mate Iker Lecuona. A clean sweep of the three major championships that underlines the strength of both the technical package and the team behind it.
The numbers tell the story of Bulega’s dominance: 26 wins and 4 runner-up finishes from the opening 30 races, an extraordinary run that has seen the Italian rewrite the WorldSBK record books over the course of a single season.
With this latest success, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati once again underlines its status as one of the benchmark teams in WorldSBK, taking an Italian rider – who has grown within the project – to the top of the championship. Bulega’s title is the culmination of a journey built on trust, hard work and ambition.
Stefano Cecconi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team Principal)
“Experiencing a moment like this is something truly special. Nicolò’s world title is the result of a journey we have shared with commitment and dedication. From the moment he joined our project, we saw important qualities in him: talent, speed and determination, combined with a level of maturity that has continued to grow. This season tells a story that goes far beyond the results. It reflects the quiet yet incredibly effective work of so many people within our team and at Borgo Panigale, the attention to every detail, and the strength of a group that remained united and focused throughout every stage of the championship. Nicolò approached every race weekend with great intelligence, turning pressure into energy and proving, race after race, that he fully deserved this achievement. This journey also reflects the strength of the relationship between Aruba.it and Ducati, which goes far beyond the sporting dimension of our partnership. It is a shared project that brings together two examples of Italian excellence, united by expertise, vision and the ability to innovate in an extremely competitive environment. I would like to thank every member of our team and everyone at Borgo Panigale who worked to achieve this extraordinary result. A special thank you goes to Claudio Domenicali, Luigi Dall’Igna, Mauro Grassilli and Marco Zambenedetti for their support, vision and constant contribution to a technical and sporting project of the highest level. Today, we celebrate together a world title that is the result of the continuity of a path we have pursued with conviction and ambition.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“Nicolò’s Superbike World Championship title is a source of enormous pride and satisfaction for Ducati. Seeing a young Italian rider grow within our project, develop season after season and achieve such a prestigious goal is something truly special. Nicolò has delivered an extraordinary championship, demonstrating speed, talent, determination, and impressive maturity in how he managed every situation. This success is the result of outstanding teamwork. I would like to congratulate Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, all the men and women in Borgo Panigale who contributed to developing the Panigale V4 R, and everyone involved in this project. Nicolò Bulega triumphs in the 2026 Superbike World Championship. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider claims the world title aboard the Ducati Panigale V4 R. The results achieved this year, culminating in the Triple Crown, confirm the strength of the Ducati method, the quality of our work and our ability to keep improving without ever losing sight of our objective. My sincerest congratulations go to Nicolò for a thoroughly deserved title, secured with authority. I am certain this is just another important chapter in a career that still has so much more to tell.”
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #1)
“I’m World Champion, and it still feels incredible. This win means so much to me for a number of reasons. The Supersport title was also hugely important. I was coming through a really difficult period, and that success helped me believe in myself again. When I moved up to Superbike, I knew the challenge would be even bigger, but I found a team that believed in me from the very first race and gave me everything I needed to get to this point. They saw that I still had something to give to motorcycle racing and helped me rediscover my speed. And it wasn’t just at the track – they were there for me away from the paddock too. When you’re part of a team like this, everything becomes easier. A huge thank you to everyone close to me, to my team, to Ducati and to everyone who believed in me!”
Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“I’m really happy. I love this circuit, but the bike made the difference this weekend and allowed us to complete the hat-trick. It worked well in every condition, both in the cooler temperatures and in the heat, and what we found gave me incredible confidence. Now we’ll try to do it again at Estoril. It won’t be easy with Nicolò, but we’ll give it a go!”
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