10:24
Run 1 top 10
Top 10 after the first runs of Superpole is:
- Bulega
- Lecuona
- S. Lowes
- Montella
- Vierge
- Locatelli
- Bautista
- Surra
- A. Lowes
- Petrucci
Three-time podium finisher in Portimao, Oliveira, down in 14th at the moment with six minutes to go.
Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Dutch WorldSBK. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
2026 Dutch WorldSBK Race 1 As It Happened: Bulega keeps win streak going
Live updates from Race 1 from the 2026 Dutch WorldSBK at the TT Circuit Assen.
Live coverage of the Superpole session at the 2026 Dutch WorldSBK at Assen. Superpole is due to start at 11:15 local time; Race 1 is coming up this afternoon at 14:30.
Key Moments
- Bulega wins despite mid-race rain
- Rain arrives mid-race
- Lecuona leads at the start
- Bulega takes third straight pole
- Chantra ruled out after FP3 crash
Nicolo Bulega ended Friday as the fastest World Superbike rider at Assen, topping both sessions that were largely dominated by Ducati on the time sheets. He continued that form into Saturday, taking pole position in Superpole despite crashing towards the end of the session.
Iker Lecuona became the first rider this weekend to lap in the 1m32s bracket when he did it in FP3 this morning, but he could not match his teammate, Bulega, in qualifying and ended up third. The Spaniard had been unsatisfied with his bike setup after practice on Friday, feeling he couldn't turn well in the fast corners, but after Superpole he indicated that improvements had been made in that area.
Sam Lowes completes the front row for Race 1, splitting the two factory Ducati riders, although he lost the lap record he set in 2025 to Bulega's pole lap this morning.
Miguel Oliveira was fourth-fastest in FP3 after struggling on Friday even more than he'd expected before the weekend, but he went backwards in Superpole, qualifying 13th while his teammate, Danilo Petrucci, was fourth.
Jonathan Rea remains in action this weekend in place of Jake Dixon, after filling in initially for the Honda rookie at Portimao. Rea hasn't cracked the top-15 yet this weekend and was 17th this morning. His teammate, Somkiat Chantra, is a doubt for Superpole after crashing in FP3 and bringing out the red flags.
There is also a wildcard in action this weekend in the shape of 22-year-old Dutchman Twan Smits with the Team Apreco Yamaha squad. Smits was 18th-fastest yesterday and crashed in FP3 this morning.
18 Apr 2026
10:22
There was a crash for Bahattin Sofuoglu at turn one at the beginning of his second lap. He's 17th at the moment. Yellow flags cost a few people laps, but being right at the start of the lap no one had had the chance to develop a strong lap before they came across them.
10:20
Sam Lowes briefly to the top but then the factory bikes go into the 1m32s, Bulega down to a 1m32.798s for provisional pole at the moment.
10:20
1m33.258 is the early benchmark from Montella, but the factory Ducatis are going faster behind him.
10:16
Superpole start
Pit lane is open in Assen and we are underway for 15 minutes of Superpole.
10:14
Conditions
Conditions are dry but cloudy this morning. Rain is expected today but not until the afternoon.
For Superpole, we have 16C air temperature and 20C track temperature, so almost exactly the same as FP1 yesterday.
10:13
Bulega chasing third successive pole
Switching the focus back to the Superpole session and Nicolo Bulega is chasing a third successive pole position today in 2026.
The last rider to take pole in the first three rounds of the season was Jonathan Rea in 2021. That year, Rea was on pole for the first eight rounds in a row.
Bulega, of course, was also on pole in Jerez last year, so his pole streak would extend to four rounds with a pole position today. The last rider to do four poles in a row was Toprak Razgatlioglu in the middle of the 2024 season.
10:07
Chantra's injury the latest blow for Honda
Chantra's absence from Saturday in Assen is just the latest in a run of injuries for Honda this year.
Full story here.
Somkiat Chantra, 2026 Dutch WorldSBK. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
09:52
Chantra OUT
Somkiat Chantra crashed this morning in FP3 exiting turn five. The incident brought out the red flags and sent Chantra to the medical centre.
WorldSBK has just confirmed that Chantra is unfit for today with multiple injuries, but will be reviewed before Warm Up tomorrow. So, not yet weekend over for the HRC rookie.
09:47
FP3
Nicolo Bulega toppedd both practice sessions yesterday and was the only rider to lap in the 1m33s until Lorenzo Baldassarri dipped below the 1m34s mark late in FP2.
Iker Lecuona moved the benchmark this morning, becoming the only rider so far this weekend to lap in the 1m32s. Bulega was fifth, albeit on a race tyre while most of the field chose to do a qualifying simulation with the SCX, which is unavailable in the long races this weekend.
Alex Lowes was second-fastest for Bimota this morning. He and teammate Axel Bassani both complained about rear grip yesterday, but Lowes seemed to make a step this morning.
Alvaro Bautista was also competitive on the Barni Ducati, setting the third-best time in FP3. Qualifying has been Bautista's biggest hurdle for the past two-and-a-bit seasons by now, but if he can crack the front two rows today he could be in the podium mix come the races.
Full FP3 results are here.
09:41
Welcome to live coverage of today's WorldSBK action from Assen, which hosts round three of the 2026 season.
Superpole is due to get underway in just under 35 minutes at 11:15 local time.