2026 Australian WorldSBK: A Dominant Performance by Bulega
The opening Superpole session of the 2026 Australian WorldSBK at Phillip Island saw Nicolo Bulega take the pole position, finishing over 0.4 seconds ahead of Yari Montella. This marks Bulega's consistent performance throughout the week, including the test sessions on Monday and Tuesday. Sam Lowes completed a Ducati front-row lockout, further showcasing the team's prowess.
The second row featured Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani on Bimotas, ahead of Danilo Petrucci's BMW. Petrucci's teammate, Miguel Oliveira, unfortunately crashed during his first flying lap at turn two and was unable to set a time, despite successfully returning to the pits.
Row three featured the return of Lorenzo Baldassarri, followed by Kawasaki's Garrett Gerloff and the sole Yamaha in the top-10, driven by Xavi Vierge. Alberto Surra also qualified in the top-10 on his World Superbike debut, joining fellow satellite Ducati riders Tarran Mackenzie and Alvaro Bautista on row four for Race 1.
Iker Lecuona, on his factory Ducati debut, qualified 13th, while Andrea Locatelli's difficult weekend continued with a 15th-place finish and a 1.5-second gap from Bulega's pace. The official Phillip Island WorldSBK records highlight Bulega's dominance, with the best lap and fastest race lap times set in 2024.
Alex Lowes, a former consumer and racing motorcycle news reporter at Visordown, joined the Crash.net team in August 2024, bringing his expertise to the coverage of this thrilling event.
