Assen 2026, Race 1: not even the rain stops Bulega

Seven seasonal victories and eleven consecutive successes: two more wins are still needed, which could materialize this very weekend in the Netherlands, for Nicolò Bulega to write a piece of Superbike history with a new record. The world championship leader, who has always been on the top step of the podium since the start of this championship, would indeed equal Toprak Razgatlioglu’s absolute record, but to do so he will obviously have to get the better of the riders he dueled with today in Race 1, starting with his teammate Iker Lecuona. The latter, who had already been the protagonist of good performances in both free practice and Superpole, put #11 in difficulty in the final phase of the race, during which the two were protagonists of overtakes and counter-overtakes under a light rain. A battle that allowed Sam Lowes to get closer to the leading duo, but not enough to attempt an attack.

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Race report

At the extinguishing of the red light, Lecuona confirmed his good feeling with the ‘Cathedral of Speed’, moving from third position on the starting grid to the race lead in turn 1. However, the Spanish Ducati rider remained in front of everyone only during the first lap, with Bulega returning to the top of the standings already on the main straight. On the other hand, Danilo Petrucci had a terrible start: the BMW rider started just before the off, thus incurring a double long lap penalty. In addition, ‘Petrux’ ended up in the gravel after losing control of the bike in the first long lap, effectively compromising his race with a return to the track in last place. Shortly after the start, there was also a scare due to contact between Alvaro Bautista and Alex Lowes, with the two maintaining fourth and fifth position respectively throughout the race, at a distance from the top three riders. The spectacle was not lacking in the second half of the race, mainly affected by a light rain: while continuous overtakes for top-10 placings from 6th to 10th place occurred, with Andrea Locatelli leading this group, the fight also materialized for the victory, with Lecuona returning to the overall lead. From there, a battle began between the two Aruba.it team riders, with Bulega’s final attack 3 laps from the checkered flag, decisive for the win. The next race appointments at Assen are scheduled for tomorrow, first with the Superpole Race (11:10) and then with Race 2 (15:30), which will close the Dutch weekend.

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Assen, Race 1: finishing order