Nicolo Bulega took pole position during World Superbike Superpole qualifying Saturday morning at Portimao, in Portugal. Riding his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4R, Bulega recorded a lap time of 1:38.495, which was not only good enough to top the 22-rider field and secure pole position it also eclipsed Toprak Razgatlioglu’s 2025 All-Time Lap Record of 1:39.081.
His teammate, Iker Lecuona qualified second with a 1:38.637.
Yari Montelli did a 1:38.933 on his Barni Spark Racing Ducati Panigale V4R to earn the third and final spot on the front row.
Row two starters include ROKiT BMW’s Miguel Oliveira (1:39.068),ELF Marc VDS Ducait’s Sam Lowes (1:39.090), and Pata Maxus Yamaha ’s Xavi Vierge (1:39.139).
Danilo Petrucci finished 9th with a time of 1:39.254 on his ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team M1000RR.
American Garrett Gerloff qualified 13th with a 1:39.593 on his Kawasaki ZX-10RR.
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More from a press release issued by WorldSBK:
LEAVING IT LATE: Bulega snatches pole from teammate Lecuona with final Superpole lap at Portimao.It’s an all-Ducati front-row with Montella joining Bulega and Lecuona, while home hero Oliveira goes from P4.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) denied teammate Iker Lecuona pole position at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with his final lap in the Tissot Superpole session in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The #11 obliterated the last record, as did Lecuona, to secure pole position for the Pirelli Portuguese Round.
THE FIRST RUN: Lecuona sets the benchmark
After topping FP3 this morning, Lecuona was quick out of the traps in in the 15-minute session as he immediately broke the all-time lap record with a 1’39.077s, beating teammate Bulega by 0.100s, although reduced that gap to 0.039s on his second lap. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) slotted into P3 with a 1’39.252s on his first lap with Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) in fourth. However, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) took an alternative strategy, leaving the pits later than his rivals, and he moved into a provisional P5.
DENIED AT THE END: Bulega snatches pole from Lecuona
Lecuona was the first rider to start his second stint in the final five minutes, and he went even faster: he was four tenths quicker in the first half of the lap and maintained that to post a 1’38.637s, laying down a huge marker for his rivals; his time was four tenths quicker than the previous lap record. It looked like it would net him a second pole position, but Bulega went 0.142s quicker on his final lap to set a 1’38.495s to secure back-to-back poles to start the 2026 season. Bulega is the first Italian rider to have more than 10 pole positions, with the #11 taking his 11th pole. He’s the first Ducati rider to start a campaign with back-to-back poles since Carlos Checa in 2011, and the first overall since Toprak Razgatlioglu in 2023. For Lecuona, it’s his first front row since he was on pole in Barcelona in 2022, a wait of three years, six months and three days – the fifth-longest gap in WorldSBK history. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was the final rider in the 1’38s bracket as he secured a second front row start; he had none in 2025 and has two from two in 2026.
SECOND ROW FOR THE HOME HERO: Oliveira P4, Sam Lowes and Vierge on Row 2
Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had been running in a provisional front row placing but was forced to settle for the second row, 0.573s away from Bulega’s incredible result. However, it’s worth noting he was faster than the previous lap record which was set by BMW’s Razgatlioglu. Sam Lowes maintained P5 after posting a 1’39.090s, ahead of Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) who secured a second row start as the lead Yamaha rider for Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP TEN: Alex Lowes joined by Baldassarri and Petrucci
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) will perhaps feel he could’ve been higher up the grid after his pace on Friday, but he will go from the third row. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) will join the #22 on Row 3 as he claimed eighth with Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) completing the top ten.
The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’38.495s
2. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.142s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.438s
4. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.573s
5. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.595s
6. Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +0.644s
Don’t miss Race 1 from Portimao at 15:30 Local Time (UTC+0) using the comprehensive WorldSBK VideoPass!
