Storm Stacey produced a career best performance to finish fourth in the opening race of 2026. The Bathams AJN Racing rider stayed with the lead group for the entire distance. Stacey narrowly missed out on a podium after a fierce battle with Bradley Ray and Leon Haslam. This result proves the young rider is now a genuine contender for the top positions.
Scott Redding delivered a solid performance on his debut for the Hager PBM Racing Team. The former champion finished fifth after a late overtake on Max Cook. Redding showed consistent pace on the Ducati Panigale throughout the weekend. He admitted to feeling the physical demands of the narrow track but remains optimistic. This top five finish provides a strong foundation.
Leon Haslam proved his veteran class by clinching second place in a thrilling season opener. The Moto Rapido Ducati rider fought off Bradley Ray in a race long duel that saw multiple overtakes. Haslam grabbed the lead early but eventually settled for a strong podium finish. His result confirms the Italian machinery is the bike to beat at the Cheshire circuit.
Kyle Ryde launched his title defence with a clinical victory in the opening race at Oulton Park. The Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati rider recovered from a slow start to lead by lap four. Ryde eventually crossed the finish line over five seconds clear of the chasing pack. This win marks a perfect start for the reigning champion and his new Ducati team.
Miguel Oliveira was ruled out of the Hungarian WorldSBK Round after crashing at Turn 5 on lap one of the Superpole Race at Balaton Park, with Andrea Locatelli also going down in the same incident and both riders ending up in the middle of the track, triggering an immediate red flag. Oliveira had taken third in Race 1 on Saturday for BMW’s best result of the 2026 season. Race 2 will run without him.
After the Superpole Race at Balaton Park, Nicolo Bulega extended his championship lead with 16 wins from 11 race weekends across 2025 and 2026 combined. Lecuona sits second in the standings, with the gap now 86 points after the Superpole Race. Bautista, Montella and Baldassarri have emerged as the most consistent performers behind the factory Ducati pairing, with Race 2 at Balaton still to come this afternoon at 15:30 local time.
Lorenzo Baldassarri put Team GoEleven second on the grid at Balaton Park for his first ever WorldSBK front row start. The Italian then backed that up with third in the Superpole Race, giving him two of the best results of his WorldSBK career across the same weekend. Baldassarri was in the podium fight from early in Race 1 before Oliveira got clear, eventually finishing fourth. A breakthrough weekend for the GoEleven Ducati rider.
Nicolo Bulega became the Italian rider with the most victories in WorldSBK history after his Superpole Race win at Balaton Park on Sunday. Bulega won the Superpole Race from pole ahead of Lecuona, with Baldassarri third as Ducati locked out the podium. Bautista, Montella and Surra completed an all Ducati top six with Alex Lowes the top non-Ducati in seventh. The record books keep rewriting themselves every time Bulega takes the flag.
Nicolo Bulega said achieving the consecutive wins record feels like a dream, adding he is proud and hopes to continue but that he did not go into Race 1 thinking about the record, just the 25 championship points. The Italian added that to achieve all of this in just his third WorldSBK season, winning 30 races in total for an Italian brand, is simply fantastic and something he could not have imagined.
Nicolo Bulega took the Superpole Race win over Lecuona at Balaton Park, with Lorenzo Baldassarri completing an all Ducati podium. Bautista, Montella and Surra completed an all Ducati top six, with Alex Lowes the top non-Ducati in seventh. The win extends Bulega’s record streak to 15 consecutive victories, a number that was unthinkable even at the start of this season. Nobody in WorldSBK history has ever come close.