Nicolo Bulega will start the final WorldSBK races of the season from pole position after securing Superpole victory at Jerez.
Nicolo Bulega stormed to the final WorldSBK Superpole of the season at Jerez in 1:36.643, his third at the Spanish circuit, securing a landmark 20th career Superpole position. For the second time in history, Ducati has secured all the poles in a season.
The result capped off a sensational qualifying record for the Italian rider this year, taking 11 out of 12 Superpoles on offer, with his only defeat of the season coming at Cremona to his teammate Iker Lecuona. It provides a fitting milestone as he prepares to make the switch to MotoGP with VR46 next season.
The Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto stands as one of Bulega’s most dominant venues. In his recent outings at the track, he has conceded just a single victory to his rivals, a runner-up finish behind Toprak Razgatlioglu two years ago. Every other race appearance for Bulega at Jerez has yielded a victory, highlighted by dominant lights-to-flag performances where he led every single lap in Race 1 of 2024 as well as the opening two races last season.
Joining Bulega on the front row as the only other rider under the 1:37 mark, Sam Lowes matched his best qualifying performance of the year by securing second on the grid, equalling his front-row starts from Assen and Magny-Cours.
Iker Lecuona completed the top three in third position, outqualified by the independent Marc VDS Ducati of Lowes. Jerez remains one of only two venues on the current calendar, alongside Phillip Island, where Lecuona is yet to step onto the WorldSBK podium, with his personal best at the venue being a fifth-place finish in Race 1 of 2024.
Yari Montella will head up the second row alongside Alex Lowes as the lone non-Ducati representative inside the top nine. Lorenzo Baldassarri will line up from sixth position on the grid, just ahead of Thomas Bridewell, leading row three in seventh.
Alberto Surra secured eighth position ahead of Alvaro Bautista in ninth, while Axel Bassani rounds out the top 10. Xavi Vierge, Jake Dixon, Miguel Oliveira, Loris Baz, and Danilo Petrucci complete the top 15 grid positions.
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