WSBK

Nicolo Bulega made history again today in Hungary by setting a new mark for early season dominance. The Italian's fourth hat-trick of the season means he is the first rider in WorldSBK history to open a season with twelve wins in a row. Having broken the record for consecutive victories yesterday the Italian continued to dominate the Superbike class with a vice-like grip.

Race 2 Highlights

Starting from pole position ahead of his Aruba.it Racing - Ducati teammate, Iker Lecuona, Bulega made a fast start and took the holeshot into Turn 1. The championship leader was kept under pressure for the first half of the race before extending his lead over Lecuona. The 21 lap race was dominated by the duo who notched up their ninth consecutive one-two.

Having started from fifth on the grid Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed his second podium of the season. The Italian was at the front of the group during a chaotic opening tour and his reward was to spend all 21 laps in third position. It wasn’t easy for Montella as he started to struggle with rear tyre wear in the closing stages of the race. He was however able to hold off Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team Goeleven) at the chequered flag.
Baldassarri was involved in plenty of action on the opening lap with a clash with Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team). The fight for a top five finish was claimed by Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) who picked off Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) at half distance. Surra finished the race in seventh position to round off a great weekend with three eight finishes.

Championship Highlights

Bulega is now 82 points clear of the field in the Riders Standings.

Ducati’s perfect score of 248 points from four rounds means they now hold a 140 point over bimota who failed to score a point in Race 2 after a technical problem for Axel Bassani and a crash for Alex Lowes.

P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
“This has been an amazing weekend. I’m even happier than after the last round because this is the most difficult track of the season for me. With my riding style it’s not easy to be fast here. I really wanted this win and to finish the hat-trick in Balaton. I was thinking before the weekend that if I could win here it would be very important for the championship and for the next rounds. It feels fantastic. To succeed like this with Ducati makes it even more special. For an Italian bike with an Italian rider it means a lot. I’m really happy and I want to continue like this because it makes me happy. When I see the whole team happy as well it makes it even better.”

P2 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
"I struggled a lot on Friday because I was sick. Physically it wasn't easy this weekend. In the Superpole Race I needed the full distance to catch Nicolo because I was gaining on him towards the end. In the long race I felt I had the performance to stay with him and maybe try something but in the last laps I was struggling a lot physically. I couldn’t recover enough energy and I started to make some mistakes, I almost crashed a few times and ran wide in the chicane. At that point I told myself to be smart. Second place isn't the result we aim for but for the championship and for the team it’s still a very good result.”

P3 – Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
“I’m really happy. To get another podium after Phillip Island, which is one of my favourite tracks, makes it even more special. It shows how well we’ve worked. After the crashes in Portimao we used Assen to rebuild my feeling with the bike. Here we started again from FP1 to do the same. Session by session we have improved so I’m very proud of the progress we made. I’m really proud of my team and the work we’ve done together in the garage.”

*************

Bimota

Seventh For Lowes The Sunday Highpoint At Balaton


BbKRT rider Alex Lowes secured a seventh-place finish in the WorldSBK Superpole Race at Balaton Park, and that proved to be the best single bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team result on the final day of the fourth round.

The race weekend in Hungary was blessed with warm and dry weather from the first practice session to the final two races on Sunday, 3 May.

bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team pairing of Lowes and Axel Bassani found little in the way of good fortune on the final day, however, at the unique 4.075km-long Balaton Park Circuit.

The planned ten-lap Superpole Race was shortened to only eight after an opening-lap multiple-rider collision into the T6/7 area. In the restart, Alex would take a positive seventh place in the intense short race, and Axel would end up 15th.

Soon after Race Two had started, Lowes was in a battle within the group chasing the leading riders. While riding in fourth place, he was pushed wide and lost several positions. He was moving forward from then on, but while chasing another competitor in the T9/10 chicane, he touched his rival on the exit of the second apex, crashed out, and was unable to restart.

Bassani experienced an early technical issue with some aspect of his braking system in Race Two and had to retire.

After four rounds and 12 races, Lowes is fifth overall in the championship points table, and Bassani is now ninth. Alex has 82 points and Bassani 67. bimota remains second in the Manufacturers’ Standings and BbKRT is now third in the Teams’ Standings.

The fifth round of the 2026 WorldSBK Championship will take place at the Autodrom Most, in Czechia, between 15-17 May.

Alex Lowes stated: “Not the Race Two that we wanted. This track is a bit special. It is not easy to pass and you need a good track position. I was really happy with the Superpole Race. We did a good job and even set our best lap of the weekend. In the final race I made a good start and had a really good T1 and T2, in fourth place. This was the main job done as it helps you with track position. Then, Baldassarri hit me and that put me out, so I lost five or six positions. We had made a change on the front of the bike and I could see a few other riders going out of the track, while I was stopping the bike quite well. I was just following Taz Mackenzie through the chicane at T9 and T10 and I think I misjudged his speed in the second apex. I was thinking to pass him in T10 but it completely caught me off guard. I hit the back of him with my hand and lost the front. That is hard to accept because I think we had a really positive weekend, I was maximising the pace we had, made good starts and I was getting myself in good positions. I think with the progress we made from Friday to Saturday to Sunday, it’s a shame to end this weekend with this race. Overall, I think how we did as a team was really good.”

Axel Bassani stated: “It was quite a difficult Sunday for us. It started well in FP3, when I had a good pace. Also in the Superpole Race, my pace was really good, but it was quite near to impossible for me to overtake the riders in front of me. When I had the possibility to be free, I was immediately in the 1’39.6 lap times. We know it is difficult for us to overtake, and we finished P15. In Race Two, from the warm-up lap, I had some issues with the front brake, a lot of vibration. I tried to do the first lap of the race, but it was also locking on the straight. It was dangerous for me and the other riders, so I decided to stop. This was really impossible to ride. We will try to recover this week and try to be more ready for the next round in Most.”


**************

Honda

Chantra improves pace in Race 2 as Kunii gains valuable WorldSBK experience at Balaton


Honda HRC riders Chantra and Kunii round out WorldSBK round four at Balaton Park with a P15 and P16 finish in Sunday’s Race 2.

Chantra improves pace in Race 2 as Kunii gains valuable WorldSBK experience at Balaton

The Honda HRC team has now completed the fourth Superbike World Championship round, placing fifteenth and sixteenth in Sunday’s final race at Hungary’s Balaton Park with Somkiat Chantra and substitute rider Yuki Kunii.

The warm weather continued today, making for an uninterrupted race day. On track this morning for the Superpole race, Chantra and Kunii lined up on row seven and eight of the grid respectively. The race began on time but an incident on lap one involving Oliviera brought the race to an immediate halt with a red flag. Restarted a short time later, the race was reduced to a distance of just 8 laps.

Chantra and Kunii maintained their starting positions through the initial stages, lapping with half a second of each other for the first few laps. The gaps opened up a little from mid-race on, but both the Thai and Japanese rider maintained their pace, each focused on their own performance. While Chantra gained one position to finish nineteenth, teammate Kunii held twenty-first all the way to the line.

The weekend’s second and final 21-lap race ran mid-afternoon in dry, sunny conditions. Chantra and Kunii both gained two positions in the early stages following mistakes for riders up ahead. Establishing a consistent rhythm, the pair continued to work hard and stay out of trouble, in light of further incidents involving other riders. Somkiat consistently improved his pace, setting his best lap of the weekend on the penultimate lap after moving into the points zone on lap seven. Holding fifteenth for the remainder of the race, Chantra completed the race to score one championship point. Replacement rider Yuki did his best to keep his teammate within sight, eventually crossing the line in P16.



Somkiat Chantra 35
Honda HRC


“Today we had both the Superpole Race and Race 2. In the Superpole Race, we made some changes to the bike and electronics, and the feeling was a bit better. My pace was more consistent, so that was a positive step. The race itself was not bad, but I was a bit unlucky at the start, stuck behind other riders, and it was difficult to overtake, especially through the opening corners. In Race 2, we struggled more in the early laps because I had some rear spinning but during the race I was able to improve my pace. I focused on being more consistent and was able to set my best lap of the weekend. Overall, there are some small positives, like finishing in the points today. I want to thank the team for their hard work. We know we are still not where we want to be, so we will keep working hard and pushing step by step to move closer to the front.”

Yuki Kunii 92
Honda HRC


“Today was another new experience for me, especially with the Superpole Race, which was very short and intense. With the red flag and the restarted race run over just eight laps, it was quite crazy. I did my best, but I wasn’t feeling completely comfortable on the bike and made a few mistakes. We had tried a small setup change, but for Race 2 we decided to go back with the setting, and the feeling improved. From start to finish, I was able to push a bit more compared to yesterday and, overall, I’m happy with the weekend. Being part of a full factory team like Honda HRC has been an amazing experience. At the same time, it reminded me how high the level of this championship is, and how much I still need to improve, especially in managing the bike over race distance. I want to thank Honda HRC and team for the opportunity."

***************

BMW

Balaton Park: Podium celebrations and a black Sunday.


Miguel Oliveira back on the podium: third place on Saturday.
Major shock follows success on Sunday.
Both riders suffer injuries through no fault of their own in the Superpole Race.


Balaton Park. Great podium celebrations on Saturday and shocking moments on Sunday: at the fourth race weekend of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Balaton Park Circuit (HUN), BMW Motorrad Motorsport and the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team experienced the highs and lows that motorsport can bring. Saturday’s headline was: Miguel Oliveira (POR) is back on the podium! Sunday then brought a bitter twist. In the Superpole Race, both Oliveira and teammate Danilo Petrucci (ITA) were injured, through no fault of their own, and were unable to start the second main race.

Oliveira showed early in the weekend that he would be a contender at Balaton Park Circuit. In Superpole qualifying, he secured fourth place on the grid on his #88 BMW M 1000 RR. He converted that into his fourth podium finish of the season in Saturday afternoon’s first main race: third place for Oliveira. Teammate Petrucci had a more difficult race and finished in 11th.

The team headed into Sunday full of optimism. Oliveira actually made an excellent start to the Superpole Race. But then several other riders collided, and Oliveira was also taken down. The race was red-flagged. An initial diagnosis at the medical centre indicated concussion and an injury to his left shoulder. To assess the injuries further, Oliveira was transferred to hospital.

At the restart of the Superpole Race, Petrucci was then heavily struck by another rider. He was able to continue and fight his way to 16th at the finish. However, race doctors later diagnosed a bruise to his left hip caused by the contact and declared Petrucci unfit to compete in race two.

Reactions after the Balaton Park round.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “It was a weekend in which we had to experience every emotion. The great celebration on Saturday: Miguel back on the podium! We could also see that we have improved further in terms of pace. We were faster than last year and, if everything had gone to plan, a podium finish in all three races would definitely have been possible. But Sunday turned into a black day for us. First there was Miguel’s heavy crash, when he was innocently caught up in a collision in the Superpole Race. That was a major shock, along with the initial uncertainty. Fortunately, there was some early, albeit cautious, positive news. But now we must continue to wait and see what the further examinations at the hospital reveal. Then, at the restart, Danilo was also hit so hard by another rider that he was injured as well. Although he was still able to finish the race, based on the examinations in the medical centre afterwards, it was decided that he would not be allowed to start race two. We wish both our riders a good and speedy recovery and will support them as much as possible throughout their recovery process. On the technical side, we will now analyse the positive findings from the weekend ahead of Most in order to continue our upward trend.”

Christian Gonschor, Technical Director BMW Motorrad Motorsport: “First and foremost, we wish both riders a speedy recovery and hope for their quick return so that we can build on the strong performances from Saturday here in Hungary together again in Most. We were very pleased to see Miguel deliver a very strong qualifying performance and, by the end of the day, clearly demonstrate our podium potential with third place in the main race. The qualifying could have been even better: without the yellow flags, Miguel would have taken second place. That clearly shows that we have a highly competitive team and rider line-up. Unfortunately, on Sunday we were unable to carry that strong performance into the Superpole Race and race two due to a chain of unfortunate circumstances. With both riders unable to continue, a highly promising weekend came to an end. However, we can travel to Most with plenty of confidence and hope to fight for the podium again there with two fit riders, in order to keep the championship exciting. When everything comes together, we are the second-strongest force behind the Ducati factory team. We will continue fighting for podiums and, hopefully soon, for victories again, and we are looking forward to making the most of our bike’s strengths in Most. We remain optimistic about the future, even though this Sunday was a very difficult one.”


******************

Ducati

The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team has wrapped up another triumphant weekend. Nicolò Bulega and Iker Lecuona were unrivalled, finishing first and second once again at the Balaton circuit (Hungary).

The Italian rider has extended his all-time WorldSBK record to 16 consecutive victories. Lecuona, who put in a solid performance in the Superpole Race to secure second on the grid for Race 2, tried to challenge his team-mate in the first seven laps, eventually finishing second.

For the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, this marks the ninth consecutive one-two finish in the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #11)
“Another fantastic weekend that makes me very happy. It's no secret that this is the track least suited to my riding style. Achieving these results, therefore, gives me great satisfaction. I'd like to thank the team, who are doing an extraordinary job. See you at Most.”

Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #7)
“I'm pleased with these results, which have contributed to another extraordinary weekend for the team. Could we have done more? Yes, of course. Physically, I wasn't 100% due to the stomach problem I had on Thursday, but the feeling improved session by session and that gives me great confidence.”

****************

Yamaha

Xavi Vierge, Andrea Locatelli and Pata Maxus Yamaha were disappointed to not be able to maximise their full potential on Sunday at Round 4 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship at Balaton Park in Hungary, today.

Vierge did everything possible to overcome a difficult qualifying position throughout the weekend, once again coming through from P17 on the grid in the Superpole Race to the top 10 this morning, just one place shy of an improved slot for Race 2. The Spanish rider started from P15 in Race 2, but struggled under braking and with rear grip in the second half of the race, finishing 12th at the line.

This morning’s Superpole Race was also red-flagged following an unfortunate accident where Locatelli and Miguel Oliveira crashed at Turn 6, in a Lap 1 racing incident. In the revised 8 Lap restart, the team’s #55 rider served a Double Long Lap Penalty for what Race Direction deemed to be irresponsible riding – crossing the line in 13th place and putting Locatelli on the fourth row of the grid for Race 2.

An as yet unexplained high-side in Turn 17 at the end of the opening lap of the final race of the weekend ended Locatelli’s hopes of a strong Race 2 and opportunity to capitalise on his earlier form.

Beatriz Neila finished second once again for Ampito Crescent Yamaha in the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, in an explosive Race 2 that saw four riders fight for the victory until the final corner – while teammate Chloe Jones took ninth place for Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha. Neila lies just 14 points from the championship lead at the halfway point, as the WorldWCR series takes a break from the calendar until Misano next month.

WorldSBK however will be back in action at Most in the Czech Republic in just under two weeks’ time, where Pata Maxus Yamaha has enjoyed podium performances in the past, from 15-17 May.
 
Xavi Vierge – SPRC: P10 / Race 2: P12

“It has been a very, very difficult Hungarian Round – we have been working like crazy since Friday and it looked like in some parts of the weekend we had some positives, but today in Race 2 I was struggling a lot again especially in the second half of the race. It has been the first really tough weekend together, and there is now a lot to analyse to understand the way to follow. All I can say is thank you to Yamaha and the team for the hard work, and we have a week to look at everything and come back to Most with recharged batteries.”


Andrea Locatelli – SPRC: P13 / Race 2: DNF

“The first thing to say is about the Superpole Race – I never want another rider involved in a crash to have an injury and I am so sorry about Miguel. I do not want to speak about the decision of Race Direction to penalise me, it’s better to say nothing. With the penalties and the bad grid position, we had a lot of work to do in Race 2 but I really think we could have done well because my feeling on the bike was good – unfortunately, we do not understand yet what happened with the crash. Some really bad luck for us, but in some ways it was a positive weekend because I had a good feeling on my R1 since Friday and I was quite happy, and I always try to do my best. We need to keep moving forward and looking at the next one, for sure we need to work hard and try to improve to close the gap – this is the reality.”


Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Maxus Yamaha:

“After a positive Assen and a positive start to the Balaton weekend, it has turned into a difficult Hungarian Round for the Pata Maxus Yamaha team – especially today on Sunday. Yesterday’s Race 1 result gave us encouragement for today with a very solid ride for Loka and a brilliant recovery to the top 10 for Xavi, but today didn’t go to plan. On Andrea’s side, things unravelled not so much with the Lap 1 accident in the Superpole Race but more with the extremely questionable decision to award him a double long lap penalty on the restart, for Irresponsible Riding. Being hit by another rider from behind in a racing incident is one thing, but then to be penalised for it is quite another and we do not understand the decision. This compromised the Superpole Race result and also this afternoon’s Race 2, where instead of being able to start from the second row and find his flow with the fastest riders, Loka was stuck in a group when he fell from contention – we are extremely lucky that Loka has “cosmetic” injuries only after a massive last-corner high-side.

From P17 on the grid, Xavi again made a great recovery in the Superpole Race to the top 10, but missed out by just one position to improve his Race 2 grid slot. We’ve been chasing the right set-up for him all weekend and of course, the team and the engineers did everything they could to improve the package for Race 2. However, Xavi suffered under braking and also with grip for the whole race and could only bring it home P12. We missed out on a big haul of points today that could have dramatically improved Loka’s championship position in particular, but we can’t look backwards and we’re now fully focused on Most and performing to our full potential in the Czech Republic.”