Live updates from Race 2 at the 2026 UK WorldSBK at Donington Park. Race 2 is due to start at 15:30 local time.
Iker Lecuona came into today having won his first WorldSBK race in Race 1 yesterday, ending a run of 18 consecutive second places. Lecuona said afterwards that he found Donington "horrible" on the Honda he rode until last year, but he was able to be more effective in the final sector than Nicolo Bulega yesterday. This morning it was the final sector, specifically the final turn, that proved Lecuona's undoing as he crashed out of a race for the first time in 2026. The crash leaves him 10th on the grid for Race 2.
Bulega agreed with Lecuona's assessment of Race 1 and said he needed to improve his electronics setup for Sunday's races, although he felt it was "not the end of the world" to finish second. He starts from pole position again this afternoon after winning the Superpole Race.
Yari Montella was third yesterday for the fifth time in a row. The Italian joked afterwards that he needs to buy a car, so the podium bonuses are required to pay for it. He picked up another podium this morning in the Superpole Race, finishing second.
There was also a "special" result for Tommy Bridewell in fifth place in Race 1, despite his tyre slipping by "180 degrees" on the rim, causing huge amounts of vibration even in a straight line.
Alex Lowes was the leading non-Ducati rider on the grid yesterday, but only seventh. He improved to fourth this morning, just beating team-mate Axel Bassani in the 10-lapper.
There are two riders absent for today's races, as Tarran Mackenzie and Alberto Surra are both out with injuries. Mackenzie sustained his in FP2 on Friday, while Surra's symptoms only emerged after FP3 yesterday morning.
Despite taking two more podiums today at Donington, Yari Montella pointed out that he is not yet as fast as the front two riders in WorldSBK, which remains his target.
Full story here.
Nicolo Bulega's two victories today came after he was beaten for the first time yesterday.
They were the result of work on his mindset this morning as well as on the bike, he explained.
Full story here.
Iker Lecuona may have crashed from the lead in the Superpole Race today but he feels he still has things to be happy about at the end of the weekend that saw him take his first WorldSBK win.
Full story here.
It's victory once again for Bulega, he wins Race 2 at Donington ahead of Lecuona and Montella.
Bassani holds onto fourth ahead of Alex Lowes, Gerloff, Sam Lowes, Baldassarri, Vierge, and Bautista who completes the top-10.
Onto the final lap now and Bulega leads by four seconds over Lecuona.
Further back, Bassani has passed Alex Lowes for fourth. It's rarely been easy for Bassani around here, so to take that first non-Ducati spot will be an achievement of sorts.
Into the final three laps now and Bulega has this race locked up, 3.4 seconds clear of his team-mate and after losing five points in the championship battle yesterday he looks set to gain 17 back today.
In fact Bassani has now passed Lowes for fifth.
Mistake from Sam Lowes at the penultimate corner on the previous lap cost him position to Alex Lowes and put Bassani on his tail.
Lecuona up to second at the final corner on lap 16. He's 2.7s behind Bulega with seven to go now.
Lecuona has caught Montella now, he's right on his rear wheel with eight laps to go.
Lecuona almost within a second of Montella now and he's lapping 0.2s faster than Bulega at the front.
13 laps to go, so still some time.
Bridewell was battling with Bassani entering the Melbourne Hairpin on lap eight when his bike let out a sizeable puff of smoke, and he's out of the race.
Lecuona up to third now as he passes Sam Lowes into the final corner on lap seven.
He has 2s ahead of him to Montella, who is now 1.7s behind Bulega at the front.
Sam Lowes makes his way through on his brother at the Old Hairpin on lap six. Lecuona has caught the pair of them, too, and gets past the Bimota at Melbourne Hairpin on the same lap.
Lecuona's picked up a couple more positions in the last two laps, passing both Bassani and Bridewell at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Bulega with 0.7s over Montella now as Alex Lowes drops off an into the clutches of his brother.
Crashes for Sofuoglu and Chantra.
0.4s for Bulega as he leads over the line for the first time. Lecuona up to seventh now as Vierge's dropped to ninth.
Leucona's already made up one position to ninth.
It's lights out in Donington as Race 2 gets underway.
Holeshot for Bulega from Montella and Alex Lowes. Sam Lowes fourth, then Bridewell and Vierge.
Riders are off on their warm-up lap ahead of this 23-lap Race 2 at Donington.
In case you missed it earlier in the weekend, no Tarran Mackenzie or Alberto Surra this afternoon after they were declared unfit.
Mackenzie was forced to sit out after he crashed in FP2, sustaining multiple injuries including suspected fractures, as well as a concussion.
Surra, on the other hand, encountered some shoulder functionality issues after FP3 yesterday morning.
Here's the starting order for Race 2, with Bulega on pole, Lecuona only 10th after his crash, and Gardner at the back having not been able to recover from last on the grid to the top-nine in the Superpole Race.
| 1 | Nicolo Bulega | ITA | Aruba.it Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 2 | Yari Montella | ITA | Barni Spark Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 3 | Sam Lowes | GBR | Marc VDS Racing Team | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 4 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | Bimota KB998 |
| 5 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team | Bimota KB998 |
| 6 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | ITA | Team Go Eleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 7 | Tommy Bridewell | GBR | Superbike Advocates Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 8 | Xavi Vierge | ESP | Pata Maxus Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 9 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | Kawasaki WorldSBK Team | Kawasaki ZX-10RR |
| 10 | Iker Lecuona | ESP | Aruba.it Racing Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 11 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R |
| 12 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | ROKiT BMW Motorrad | BMW M1000 RR |
| 13 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | ROKiT BMW Motorrad | BMW M1000 RR |
| 14 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | Pata Maxus Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 15 | Alvaro Bautista | ESP | Barni Spark Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R |
| 16 | Somkiat Chantra | THA | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R |
| 17 | Jake Dixon | GBR | Honda HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R |
| 18 | Bahattin Sofuoglu | TUR | Motoxracing Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 19 | Stefano Manzi | ITA | GYTR GRT Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 20 | Mattia Rato | ITA | Motoxracing Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
| 21 | Remy Gardner | AUS | GYTR GRT Yamaha | Yamaha R1 |
Pit lane is open at Donington and the riders are heading out on their sighting lap ahead of this 23-lap Race 2.
