Australian Race 1

Nicolo Bulega delivered a flawless performance to secure a lights-to-flag victory in the opening race of the 2026 season. Starting from pole position, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider fended off an initial challenge into Turn 1 and immediately began gapping the field.

By the midpoint of the 22-lap contest, Bulega had established a comfortable cushion, eventually crossing the line 4.776 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. The victory marks his 21st career win, moving him level with Italian legend Max Biaggi on the all-time list.

Nicolò Bulega delivered a clinical lights-to-flag performance on Saturday, February 21, 2026, to secure the first victory of the season. Bulega’s objective was to utilize his pole position to break away early, and he executed flawlessly, building a one-second lead by the end of the first lap.

He eventually crossed the finish line 4.776 seconds clear of the field, marking Ducati’s 450th victory in WorldSBK and establishing himself as the early championship favorite. The battle behind the leader provided the bulk of the afternoon's drama, as Yari Montella and Lorenzo Baldassarri both claimed their maiden WorldSBK podiums in second and third, respectively.

Axel Bassani brought the new Bimota KB998 home in a solid fourth place after a fierce duel with Sam Lowes. The race was not without incident; former champion Alvaro Bautista crashed out at Turn 11 on the opening lap, while home favorite Remy Gardner was forced to retire with technical issues.

Miguel Oliveira impressed on his debut, charging from the back of the grid after a qualifying crash to finish eighth, rounding out a day that belonged firmly to the "Aruba.it" squad. 1 /Nicolo Bulega /Aruba.it Racing Ducati /WIN 2 /Yari Montella /Barni Spark Racing /4.776 3 /Lorenzo Baldassarri /Team Go Eleven /6.147 4 /Axel Bassani /Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team /6.183 5 /Sam Lowes /Marc VDS Racing Team /8.249 6 /Iker Lecuona /Aruba.it Racing Ducati /12.549 7 /Alex Lowes /Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team /13.746 8 /Miguel Oliveira /ROKiT BMW Motorrad /20.610 9 /Alberto Surra /Motocorsa Racing /21.663 10 /Danilo Petrucci /ROKiT BMW Motorrad /22.250 11 /Garrett Gerloff /Kawasaki WorldSBK Team /22.267 12 /Tarran Mackenzie /MGM Optical Express Racing /22.724 13 /Andrea Locatelli /Pata Maxus Yamaha /30.799 14 /Tetsuta Nagashima /Honda HRC /35.308 15 /Ryan Vickers /Honda HRC /35.311 16 /Bahattin Sofuoglu /Motoxracing Yamaha /59.515 17 /Mattia Rato /Motoxracing Yamaha /1:14.921 18 /Xavi Vierge /Pata Maxus Yamaha /DNF 19 /Alvaro Bautista /Barni Spark Racing /DNF 20 /Remy Gardner /GYTR GRT /DNF 21 /Stefano Manzi /GYTR GRT /DNF