Bulega Breaks Lap Record for 10th Straight WSBK Pole
Nicolo Bulega set a new all-time lap record at Magny-Cours to claim his tenth consecutive World Superbike pole position, leading a Ducati-dominated front
Nicolo Bulega took his tenth consecutive World Superbike pole position on Saturday by breaking the all-time lap record at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Riding for the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team, Bulega posted a time to secure the top spot for the Acerbis French Round.
His lap shattered the previous record set by Toprak Razgatlioglu. The result extends Bulega's unbeaten run in Superpole qualifying this season, a streak the series calls an all-time record. He has also clinched the 2026 Tissot Superpole Award.
Front Row Lockout
Bulega led a Ducati lockout of the front row. Sam Lowes qualified second for the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, just behind. Completing the trio was Bulega's factory Ducati teammate, Iker Lecuona.
The session saw a fierce battle between the two Aruba.it riders. Lecuona initially held the advantage after the first run. Bulega then found a massive improvement on his final lap to claim pole and set the new benchmark.
The Qualifying Order
The top four riders all finished under the old lap record. The full results for the leading six positions, as issued by WSBK, are below:
| Rider | Team | Time | Gap to Pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing, Ducati | 1'34.318s | -- |
| Sam Lowes | ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | 1'34.486s | +0.168s |
| Iker Lecuona | Aruba.it Racing, Ducati | 1'34.596s | +0.278s |
| Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team | 1'34.872s | +0.554s |
| Alberto Surra | Motocorsa Racing | 1'35.141s | +0.823s |
| Alex Lowes | bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | 1'35.224s | +0.906s |
Incidents and Penalties
The session was not without drama. Tommy Bridewell qualified seventh for Superbike Advocates, his best Superpole result, but a late crash at Turn 15 was followed by a penalty. He will start Race 1 from the back of the grid due to a yellow flag infringement.
Lorenzo Baldassarri also crashed late at Turn 8 but held onto eighth position on the timesheets. Further back, American rider Garrett Gerloff qualified 12th on his Kawasaki, while Danilo Petrucci will start 18th on his BMW.
Several other riders are poised to fight forward in the races. Axel Bassani starts 17th, while the ROKiT BMW duo of Petrucci and Miguel Oliveira line up 18th and 19th. The first race is scheduled for 15:30 Local Time at the French circuit.
