Iker Lecuona may have dominated Race 1 at the Italian WorldSBK round, but the Spaniard is bracing for a response from Nicolo Bulega in Sunday's two races at Cremona.
Bulega had only been beaten once in 2026 before Race 1, but the championship leader was soundly defeated by Lecuona, losing by over five seconds. It seemed an insurmountable gap, yet Lecuona believes the Italian still poses a serious threat.
“I think Nicolo always finds something,” Lecuona told WorldSBK.com after Race 1. “Of course, he thinks about the championship, but I think he enjoys riding. Let's see tomorrow because maybe in Race 2 something can change when Nicolo closes the championship. Maybe he tries to push more, but in that case we are there to fight.”
Lecuona was pleased with his own performance, feeling he had speed with margin for error. “I knew my pace was very strong, I just needed to stay calm,” he said. “The start was not the best – honestly, one of the worst I did this year – but at least I could be first in turns one and two, which is important. Then I built my riding step-by-step, improved tenth by tenth until I lost a little front grip because the front tyre dropped mid-race. But I had a gap, so I rode comfortably, even with margin to avoid mistakes. I'm really happy.”
There was a momentary worry when Lecuona suffered a headshake between turns seven and eight around half-distance. “I picked up the bike a bit too fast with full throttle, so when I changed direction it was with a wheelie. The front tyre just touched the ground and I had a big shaking. But even like that I was very comfortable, I didn't lose time. I'm happy because I rode the bike like I wanted and could recover from a small mistake without losing time.”
With this result, Lecuona strengthens his position as a serious challenger, while Bulega still leads the championship. However, Bulega's points advantage remains comfortable. If he can perform consistently in the remaining races, the title could be secured soon. But Lecuona and his team will not give up easily.
Race 2 and Race 3 at Cremona will be the true test for Bulega. Will he bounce back and silence the doubters, or will Lecuona steal the spotlight again? All will be revealed on track.
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