Bulega like Melandri
A short but spectacular race at Phillip Island, especially due to the continuous upheavals in the first five laps that proved decisive for the final positions. Taking the top step of the podium, this time with more difficulty compared to the dominance shown in Race 1, was once again Nicolò Bulega, who with 22 career successes has equaled Marco Melandri for the highest number of Superbike wins by an Italian rider. A final classification that once again smiles on the ‘azzurri’, with Axel Bassani in second position and his first podium with Bimota ahead of teammate Alex Lowes, demonstrating the progress of the Rimini-based team.
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Race report
Despite the rain after the warm-up and the strong wind during the Superpole Race, the race took place in dry track conditions. The only one not to take part in the test was Xavi Vierge, who remained in the pits due to a problem with his Yamaha almost twenty-four hours after the crash in Race 1. The start, against all expectations, was anything but positive for pole-sitter Bulega, who slipped to fourth position after yielding the leadership to Montella and the provisional podium to the two brothers Alex and Sam Lowes. However, over the next three laps out of the ten total, the rider from Emilia of the Aruba.it team completed his comeback. Bassani’s climb was also very positive; after getting the better of Sam Lowes for third place as early as the second lap, he overtook Montella on the fourth lap, just as light rain began to fall on Phillip Island. Unlike Race 1, Bulega did not create a large gap over his pursuers, with Bassani close to the reigning world runner-up. The podium was effectively decided on the 6th lap, thanks to an error by Montella at the entrance of Turn 1 which allowed Alex Lowes to move into third place. Finally, bad luck for Miguel Oliveira: after another comeback that had taken him from the last position on the grid to the points zone, earned after a good fight with teammate Danilo Petrucci, the Portuguese rider fell back to the edge of the standings due to a failure on his BMW in the closing stages of the race. The next event, which will close the Phillip Island weekend, is Race 2, scheduled for 6:00 and live on both Sky Sport MotoGP and TV8.
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Phillip Island 2026, Superpole Race: finishing order
