Saturday at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit belonged to Nicolo Bulega, with the Italian completing a flawless day by securing pole position and converting it into a dominant Race 1 victory to open the 2026 WorldSBK season, but all Aussie eyes were on Oli Bayliss. Photos: WorldSBK
In Tissot Superpole, Bulega delivered Ducati’s landmark 200th WorldSBK pole position with a blistering 1’28.244s lap aboard his Aruba.it Racing Ducati machine. It marked the tenth pole of his WorldSBK career and immediately set the tone for the opening race of the season. Behind him, Yari Montella claimed his first front-row start for the Barni Spark Racing Team, while Sam Lowes completed an all-Ducati front row for ELF Marc VDS Racing.
Tissot Superpole results are here… Read our WorldSBK content here…
World Superbike
When the lights went out for Race 1, Bulega converted pole into the holeshot and immediately began to stretch the field. Controlling the pace from the front, he led all 22 laps and crossed the line with a margin of just under five seconds to open his title campaign in emphatic fashion.
Montella backed up his Superpole performance with a measured and mature ride to second place, holding position throughout the race to secure his maiden WorldSBK podium. The Italian never threatened the runaway leader but comfortably managed the gap to the riders behind.
Remy Gardner was also forced to retire and classified as a DNF, capping a challenging Race 1 for the manufacturer at Phillip Island…
The fight for the final podium position delivered one of the highlights of the race. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) absorbed sustained late-race pressure from Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), crossing the line just 0.036s ahead to claim his first podium in the premier class.
One of the standout recovery rides came from Iker Lecuona, who charged from the fifth row of the grid to sixth place. His progress included a decisive pass on Alex Lowes at Turn 8 after closing rapidly in the second half of the race.
Starting from 21st after a Superpole crash, Miguel Oliveira produced an impressive recovery ride to eighth. A lively mid-race battle with teammate Danilo Petrucci saw the pair exchange positions before Oliveira emerged ahead.
It was a difficult opening race for Yamaha. Xavi Vierge was running inside the top ten and leading the Yamaha charge before a heavy crash exiting Stoner Corner with six laps remaining ended his race. Fellow Australian Remy Gardner was also forced to retire and classified as a DNF, capping a challenging Race 1 for the manufacturer at Phillip Island.
WorldSBK – Race 1 Top 10 (Full results here…)
Nicolo Bulega
Yari Montella
Lorenzo Baldassarri
Axel Bassani
Sam Lowes
Iker Lecuona
Alex Lowes
Miguel Oliveira
Alberto Surra
Danilo Petrucci
WorldSSP 600
In WorldSSP, Jaume Masia dominated the opening race of the season for Orelac Racing Verdnatura, while Australia celebrated a home podium as Oli Bayliss claimed a career-first World Championship top three for PTR Triumph Factory Racing.
WorldSSP – Race 1 Top 10 (Full results here…)
Jaume Masia
Philipp Oettl
Oli Bayliss
Albert Arenas
Can Oncu
Matteo Ferrari
Ondrej Vostatek
Alessandro Zaccone
Roberto Garcia
Jeremy Alcoba
