Balaton Park 2026, Race 1: Bulega sets record in Hungary

No one like him

Race 1 of the Hungary Round could have been the ideal occasion to witness a memorable moment in SBK history: seeing a rider celebrate his 14th consecutive career win, equivalent to an all-time record. And so it was. With his victory at the Balaton Park circuit, Nicolò Bulega surpassed the record he shared with three-time world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu after a race once again dominated from start to finish, followed by teammate Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira.

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Race report

At the start, Bulega steadily maintained his lead with an excellent launch at the green light, unlike Lorenzo Baldassarri, who slipped from 2nd to 9th place. A nightmare start for the GoEleven team rider, who also crashed on the next lap in turn 8 while trying to recover ground. A start to applaud, on the other hand, for Alberto Surra: seventh on the starting grid, the Turin rider of the Motocorsa team climbed up to 2nd already in the first corners ahead of Montella. Race 1 was compromised for Sam Lowes, forced to serve a double long lap penalty for a jump start, while Lecuona redeemed himself from the difficulties encountered in qualifying by climbing to second position within the first five laps, all with the great advantage Bulega had built over the chasers. The battle for third place between Surra, Oliveira, and Montella between the 7th and 8th lap was spectacular, with Surra dropping from the virtual podium in favor of the BMW Portuguese rider, followed by Montella. A battle that, at least in the top positions of the standings, was the last until the checkered flag was shown, with the finish confirming Bulega’s record.

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Balaton Park, Race 1: finishing order