10:08
Warm-up lap
Riders are off on their warm-up lap ahead of this 10-lap Superpole Race.
Nicolo Bulega leads Iker Lecuona, 2026 Hungarian WorldSBK. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Race 2 Reaction LIVE: Bulega beats Lecuona
Live updates from Race 2 at the 2026 Hungarian WorldSBK at Balaton Park.
Live coverage of 2026 Hungarian WorldSBK Race 2, which is due to start at 15:30 local time.
Key Moments
- Bulega takes 16th straight win
- Lecuona, Montella complete all-Ducati podium
- Gerloff first non-Ducati in 5th
- BMW riders both miss out with injury
Nicolo Bulega starts on pole for Race 2 in Hungary after winning the Superpole Race this morning. The Italian maintained his unbeaten run so far this weekend, extending his streak to 14 races in Race 1 despite not riding at his best by his own admission before adding a 15th straight win this morning.
Bulega has been followed over the line by Iker Lecuona in each of the last eight races, including both races this weekend. The Spaniard thinks he has a shot at the win this afternoon, starting second rather than the eighth position he had for Race 1 and the fifth place he started from this morning.
There are no BMWs on the grid for Race 2. Miguel Oliveira crashed on the opening lap of the Superpole Race and sustained a concussion and a left shoulder injury, leaving him unfit for Race 2. Danilo Petrucci, on the other hand, was declared unfit after finishing 16th in the Superpole Race with a left hip contusion.
Sam Lowes has had podium pace this weekend but jumped the start yesterday which cost him any chance of maximising his result. This morning, he was involved in the incident with Oliveira and Andrea Locatelli on the first lap, and then had a technical issue in the restart that led him to finish 20th. He'll start 11th this afternoon but with strong pace, so the start will be key for him.
Alex Lowes was the top non-Ducati rider in the Superpole Race in the absence of Oliveira, albeit down in seventh. As a result he's the top non-Ducati rider on the grid for Race 2.
There is still no Jake Dixon this weekend as he continues to recover from injury, the British rider being replaced this weekend by Yuki Kunii who is making his World Superbike. Kunii was last in both practices on Friday but has been within a second of Somkiat Chantra's best time since Saturday morning, which is a solid enough job for the Japanese debutant.
03 May 2026
10:04
Grid
Bulega on pole for this one, of course, with Baldassarri and Montella alongside him on the front row.
As we mentioned, keep an eye on Lecuona in fifth, but also Oliveira in fourth after his podium yesterday.
Full starting order for the Superpole Race is as follows:
| 1 | Nicolo Bulega | ITA | Aruba.it Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 2 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | ITA | Team Go Eleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 3 | Yari Montella | ITA | Barni Spark Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 4 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | ROKiT BMW Motorrad | BMW M1000 RR |
| 5 | Iker Lecuona | ESP | Aruba.it Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 6 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | Pata Maxus Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 7 | Sam Lowes | GBR | Marc VDS Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 8 | Alberto Surra | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 9 | Alvaro Bautista | ESP | Barni Spark Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 10 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | Bimota KB998 |
| 11 | Tarran Mackenzie | GBR | MGM Optical Express Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 12 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | Kawasaki WorldSBK Team | Kawasaki ZX-10RR |
| 13 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | ROKiT BMW Motorrad | BMW M1000 RR |
| 14 | Remy Gardner | AUS | GYTR GRT Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 15 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | Bimota KB998 |
| 16 | Tommy Bridewell | GBR | Superbike Advocates Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 17 | Xavi Vierge | ESP | Pata Maxus Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 18 | Mattia Rato | ITA | Motoxracing Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 19 | Stefano Manzi | ITA | GYTR GRT Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 20 | Bahattin Sofuoglu | TUR | Motoxracing Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 21 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R |
| 22 | Yuki Kunii | JPN | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R |
10:00
Conditions
The weather conditions have been quite fine all weekend and that is continuing today with 19C air temperature and 32C track temperature. Much different to last year's damp Superpole Race that saw Bulega and a few others make a blunder with tyre choice by going with the intermediates.
Bulega, of course finished that race 11th, it was his only finish off the podium last year from the races in which he reached the finish.
09:53
Bulega's streak under threat?
Nicolo Bulega extended his win streak to a record 14 races yesterday, but he is under threat this weekend from Iker Lecuona.
His results so far this weekend have been no better than what he has achieved in the past two rounds, but Leucona's pace on Friday and even in Race 1 after he cleared Surra for second has been at least a match for Bulega.
Starting three positions further forward today could the difference maker for the Spaniard, although he made it clear yesterday that the real goal for the Superpole Race is to get a front row start for Race 2, which would make this afternoon's 21-lapper potentially his best shot yet at beating his team-mate.
09:43
Warm Up
Warm Up this morning saw Nicolo Bulega back on top and to the tune of 0.3 seconds over Iker Lecuona.
Another all-Ducati top-three and even a 1-2-3-4 for the Bologna brand with Sam Lowes and Yari Montella behind the two factory bikes.
Alex Lowes was the fastest non-Ducati rider in fifth and over a second slower than Bulega.
Full results here.
Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Hungarian WorldSBK. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose
09:37
Welcome to live coverage of today's WorldSBK action from Balaton Park, where the Superpole Race is due to start in just over 30 minutes at 11:10 local time.