Nicolo Bulega extended his winning run at Jerez by taking victory in the 2026 WorldSBK Race 1. He finished 1.6 seconds clear of Sam Lowes, securing a fourth consecutive win. The result was also recorded as Bulega’s 50th WorldSBK victory and his 30th win of the 2026 season.

Lowes’s runner-up finish was his best result of the year. It also ended a long stretch in which an Aruba.it Racing Ducati had occupied the finishing position ahead of every other rider: Lowes became the first rider to beat one of those machines since Phillip Island. Iker Lecuona completed the podium in third place.

Bautista climbs, Montella gains ground

Alvaro Bautista came home fourth after running as low as ninth early in the race. Yari Montella finished fifth, a result that lifted him to third in the riders’ standings, ahead of Alex Lowes.

Alex Lowes was eighth and the only non-Ducati rider inside the top nine. Axel Bassani was the only additional rider from another manufacturer in the top ten. Loris Baz, drafted in as an MGM replacement, finished 12th and was the only Ducati rider to miss the top ten.