Nicolo Bulega reveals ‘emotion’ behind full-circle WorldSBK title

Nicolo Bulega’s 2026 WorldSBK title never looked in doubt from the first round at Phillip Island, but the Italian says there was “pressure” in his title-clinching weekend at Cremona regardless.

Bulega arrived at Cremona with a 146-point lead, knowing that results equal to his worst of the season – second – would be enough for him to walk away from his home round as WorldSBK champion.

Second was what Bulega rode to, and the title is what he achieved.

But as simple as winning this year’s title looked from the outside, the Italian admitted afterwards that he struggled to “manage all the pressure” involved in the weekend.

“This weekend was quite emotional because there was the possibility to close the title and it was difficult to manage all the pressure,” Nicolo Bulega told WorldSBK.com after Race 2 at Cremona.

“But at the end we did it and I’m very happy.”

He added: “Especially after Friday, that I crashed two times and the second one I don’t know why, [it was] difficult.

“Today, before the race, I was thinking ‘Okay, don’t crash, don’t make stupid things, just bring the bike to the chequered flag’. 

“So, I had to think a lot today and at the end, after the chequered flag, I started to cry and it was a very nice moment.”

For Bulega, winning the WorldSBK title is something of a full circle moment, having grown up in the paddock where his dad had a team in the Supersport class.

“When I was young I was in this paddock because my dad had a team in World Supersport,” he said.

“I was just a child walking in this paddock, and I was watching my idols – Bayliss, Haga, Corser, a lot of incredible riders. 

“Then, after 20 years I’m here and I’m the world champion. It’s incredible.”