Bulega Extends Title Lead With French WSBK Race One Win
Nicolo Bulega won a red-flagged WorldSBK Race One at Magny-Cours, leading a Ducati 1-2 ahead of teammate Iker Lecuona.
Nicolo Bulega won the restarted first race of the French WorldSBK round at Magny-Cours on Saturday. The Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider took victory by 3.118 seconds over teammate Iker Lecuona after a 12-lap sprint.
The race was initially red-flagged due to a crash involving rider Thomas Bridewell at turns 14-15. According to the series press release, Bridewell was taken for a medical check and later declared fit.
A Restarted Scrap
When the race resumed over 12 laps, the grid was set from positions at the last timing point before the stoppage. Bulega, Lecuona, and Sam Lowes formed the front row. Lecuona seized the lead early in the restart. Bulega fought back a lap later.
Bulega then set a new race lap record, a 1'35.030s, to build a decisive gap. From there, he controlled the race to the finish. This was his 24th win from 25 races this season. The win also marked his 44th career WorldSBK victory, moving him above Noriyuki Haga into sixth on the all-time list.
The Podium Battle
Lecuona secured second place, his 20th runner-up finish of the year. That tally ties the all-time single-season record set by Toprak Razgatlioglu in 2023. Sam Lowes completed the podium in third on his ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati.
Behind the top three, a fierce battle for fourth unfolded between Yari Montella and Alex Lowes. Montella ultimately claimed the position for Barni Spark Racing Team, with Lowes settling for fifth on the bimota by Kawasaki machine.
Results and Standings
The final top six were as follows:
| Position | Rider | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing, Ducati | - |
| III | Iker Lecuona | Aruba.it Racing, Ducati | +3.118s |
| 3 | Sam Lowes | ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | +6.293s |
| 4 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team | +8.786s |
| 5 | Alex Lowes | bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | +9.433s |
| 6 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | Team GoEleven | +10.050s |
American rider Garrett Gerloff finished ninth on his Kawasaki WorldSBK Team ZX-10RR. Danilo Petrucci came home 13th on the ROKiT BMW.
The result significantly impacts the championship. Bulega now leads with 516 points. Lecuona remains second but is now 138 points behind with 378. Montella holds third with 224 points. The series stated that Bulega's title coronation "will be delayed until at least Cremona" due to Lecuona's second-place finish.
A Race of Attrition
The event saw several retirements and incidents. Remy Gardner crashed out after contact from Xavi Vierge, an incident the Stewards investigated. Miguel Oliveira, Mattia Rato, and Stefano Manzi also crashed out. Somkiat Chantra retired early.
Former champion Alvaro Bautista crashed on lap three of the restart but rejoined to finish 15th, collecting two points. Jake Dixon scored his first points of the season in 11th for Honda HRC after a last-lap fight with Andrea Locatelli.
