Nicolo Bulega’s departure from WorldSBK is not a welcome development for Iker Lecuona. Bulega ended the Jerez round with another hat-trick and closes the season with 32 wins from 36 races, a record-setting total. He will move to MotoGP with VR46 next season, while Franco Morbidelli will take his place at Aruba.it Ducati.

Lecuona’s reasoning is straightforward: he would rather measure himself against a rider who is better than he is. That kind of benchmark forces improvement, and Bulega provided it throughout much of the year. The two riders are not close friends, but Lecuona described their relationship as good. Their fights could be aggressive when necessary, while still remaining controlled enough to avoid contact and crashes.

A new benchmark for 2027

Lecuona will stay in WorldSBK and face the challenge of trying to beat Morbidelli for the 2027 title. He also produced four wins of his own, coming at Donington Park and Cremona. Even so, Bulega was the faster rider across much of the season, making his departure a significant change for a rider who had used that comparison to gauge his progress.

The Jerez weekend showed how Lecuona could respond under pressure. After a difficult Saturday in which Sam Lowes beat him in Race 1, he changed some details of his riding and the motorcycle was adjusted as well. He recovered time to Bulega in the sprint, then began closing on him in the full race before the weather changed.

Rain arrived alongside stronger, colder wind, and the rear tyre lost a great deal of grip. Lecuona chose to finish the race in the position he held, taking satisfaction from having stayed close to Bulega. With Morbidelli replacing Bulega at Aruba.it Ducati, the Spaniard now faces a different reference point when the 2027 campaign begins.