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Estoril WorldSBK LIVE: Reaction after Nicolo Bulega wins Race 2 in Portugal
Live updates from Race 2 at the 2026 Estoril WorldSBK at the Circuito do Estoril.
Live coverage of Race 2 at the 2026 Estoril WorldSBK. Race 2 is set to start this afternoon at 15:30 with Nicolo Bulega on pole after his Superpole Race win.
Key Moments
- Bulega completes Estoril sweep with Race 2 domination
- Bautista crashes out of third with five laps to go
- Bautista in the podium fight with Surra, Bassani, Montella
- Oliveira drops to 12th on lap one
- Lecuona makes the holeshot in Race 2 but Bulega passes for the lead on lap one
- Bulega wins Superpole Race after Lecuona error
- Long lap penalty for Montella for turn one incident
- Bulega leads after Lecuona runs wide at turn one
- Lecuona leads at the start
Nicolo Bulega will start on pole position for the Superpole Race in Estoril after breaking the lap record in Superpole yesterday. The Italian was also victorious in Race 1 yesterday, meaning he could break Alvaro Bautista’s record of 27 race wins in a single WorldSBK season today should he win one of the two races.
Iker Lecuona was second to Bulega in Race 1 but topped Warm Up this morning. Lecuona was leading the Superpole Race this morning but made a mistake at turn one which handed the victory to Bulega.
Alberto Surra completed the podium for the first time in a full-distance WorldSBK race in Race 1, and backed that up with his third podium in four races this morning.
Miguel Oliveira was the fourth yesterday and the leading non-Ducati rider, but admitted it would be a “big challenge” to get on the podium today, such is the performance of the Ducati riders ahead. Indeed, he was third for most of the 10 laps this morning, but he lost out to Surra on the final lap.
The battle for third in the championship is one to watch in this race. Yari Montella, Alex Lowes, and Sam Lowes all failed to finish in the top nine places this morning, the latter for pace alone while Montella and Alex Lowes both suffered as a result of contact at the first corner, for which Montella received a long lap penalty.
Yari Montella could also play a role today. He was only eighth in Race 1 after contact with Lorenzo Baldassarri, but felt afterwards that he was too cautious at the start of the race, trying to save his rear tyre.
Danilo Petrucci’s future remains undecided but he admitted after the race today that Jerez is “probably” his last race in WorldSBK.
Full story here.
Nicolo Bulega has described his weekend in Estoril as one of his best of the season, returning to winning ways after missing the top step all weekend at Cremona.
Full story here.
Alvaro Bautista says he did nothing different to previous laps when he crashed out of third late on in Race 2 today.
Full story here.
2026 estoril worldsbk – championship standings after race 2
2026 estoril worldsbk – race 2 result
P3 for Montella enough for him to take the independent riders’ title.
Nicolo Bulega wins Race 2 in Estoril, he’s five seconds clear at the finish. Surra completes the podium ahead of Montella.
Bassani, Baldassarri, Gerloff, Oliveira, Vierge, and Dixon complete the top-10.
Loris Baz has also crashed out.
It’s heartbreak for Alvaro Bautista, he’s crashed out of third at turn one. He’d been pulling away from Surra and Montella but that podium is gone.
Alex Lowes is out, he’s crashed from seventh at turn four. Montella in a very good position here for third in the championship with Sam Lowes only 14th at the moment.
Montella coming back to the two in front of him now. Bassani could come back into it, too, if they start battling hard.
Surra fights back at turn six, but Bautista retaliates himself.
Surra wide at turn one and Bautista’s up to third with nine laps to go.
Rain on the camera at turn three. Could we be getting pit stops?
Bautista has a real shot at the podium here. He’s fast in the straight, he’s on Surra’s tail, and he’s faster than Montella behind.
Baldassarri has finally cleared Vierge. He’s now got 3s ahead of him to Bassani, who has just been passed by Montella for fifth.
Oliveira tries to pass Vierge on the brakes at turn one beginning lap nine, but he runs wide and drops to 11th, just ahead of Dixon.
Bulega over a second clear of Lecuona now, while Surra is already over seven seconds behind the leaders.
Vierge riding very well to keep hold of P7.
That group for third starting to fracture. Gap now between Montealla in sixth and Vierge, Baldassarri, Oliveira, Lowes, and Gerloff fighting for seventh.
Gerloff loses two spots on the run into turn one on lap six – Oliveira passes both the American and Alex Lowes, while Lowes keeps 10th position by losing one to Oliveira and then passing Gerloff on the brakes.
Fastest lap of the race for Bulega on lap four, he’s about half-a-second clear of Lecuona.
Bautista coming back to Surra for third.
Bassani, Montella, Vierge, Baldassarri, Gerloff, Alex Lowes, Oliveira all in that group as well.
Bautista back to fifth briefly as Bassani moves through, but Bautista blasts back by on the straight.
Surra up to third at turn six on lap two, passing Bautista. Bassani and Montella also in that group battling for third.
Not a good start for Oliveira – P12 after a mistake at turn six on the first lap.
Bulega into the lead at turn six, he passed Lecuona on the inside. Lecuona tried to cut back to the inside mid-corner but Bulega held it around the outside.
Live coverage of Race 2 at the 2026 Estoril WorldSBK. Race 2 is set to start this afternoon at 15:30 with Nicolo Bulega on pole after his Superpole Race win.
Key Moments
- Bulega completes Estoril sweep with Race 2 domination
- Bautista crashes out of third with five laps to go
- Bautista in the podium fight with Surra, Bassani, Montella
- Oliveira drops to 12th on lap one
- Lecuona makes the holeshot in Race 2 but Bulega passes for the lead on lap one
- Bulega wins Superpole Race after Lecuona error
- Long lap penalty for Montella for turn one incident
- Bulega leads after Lecuona runs wide at turn one
- Lecuona leads at the start
Nicolo Bulega will start on pole position for the Superpole Race in Estoril after breaking the lap record in Superpole yesterday. The Italian was also victorious in Race 1 yesterday, meaning he could break Alvaro Bautista’s record of 27 race wins in a single WorldSBK season today should he win one of the two races.
Iker Lecuona was second to Bulega in Race 1 but topped Warm Up this morning. Lecuona was leading the Superpole Race this morning but made a mistake at turn one which handed the victory to Bulega.
Alberto Surra completed the podium for the first time in a full-distance WorldSBK race in Race 1, and backed that up with his third podium in four races this morning.
Miguel Oliveira was the fourth yesterday and the leading non-Ducati rider, but admitted it would be a “big challenge” to get on the podium today, such is the performance of the Ducati riders ahead. Indeed, he was third for most of the 10 laps this morning, but he lost out to Surra on the final lap.
The battle for third in the championship is one to watch in this race. Yari Montella, Alex Lowes, and Sam Lowes all failed to finish in the top nine places this morning, the latter for pace alone while Montella and Alex Lowes both suffered as a result of contact at the first corner, for which Montella received a long lap penalty.
Yari Montella could also play a role today. He was only eighth in Race 1 after contact with Lorenzo Baldassarri, but felt afterwards that he was too cautious at the start of the race, trying to save his rear tyre.
Live coverage of Race 2 at the 2026 Estoril WorldSBK. Race 2 is set to start this afternoon at 15:30 with Nicolo Bulega on pole after his Superpole Race win.
Key Moments
- Bulega completes Estoril sweep with Race 2 domination
- Bautista crashes out of third with five laps to go
- Bautista in the podium fight with Surra, Bassani, Montella
- Oliveira drops to 12th on lap one
- Lecuona makes the holeshot in Race 2 but Bulega passes for the lead on lap one
- Bulega wins Superpole Race after Lecuona error
- Long lap penalty for Montella for turn one incident
- Bulega leads after Lecuona runs wide at turn one
- Lecuona leads at the start
Nicolo Bulega will start on pole position for the Superpole Race in Estoril after breaking the lap record in Superpole yesterday. The Italian was also victorious in Race 1 yesterday, meaning he could break Alvaro Bautista’s record of 27 race wins in a single WorldSBK season today should he win one of the two races.
Iker Lecuona was second to Bulega in Race 1 but topped Warm Up this morning. Lecuona was leading the Superpole Race this morning but made a mistake at turn one which handed the victory to Bulega.
Alberto Surra completed the podium for the first time in a full-distance WorldSBK race in Race 1, and backed that up with his third podium in four races this morning.
Miguel Oliveira was the fourth yesterday and the leading non-Ducati rider, but admitted it would be a “big challenge” to get on the podium today, such is the performance of the Ducati riders ahead. Indeed, he was third for most of the 10 laps this morning, but he lost out to Surra on the final lap.
The battle for third in the championship is one to watch in this race. Yari Montella, Alex Lowes, and Sam Lowes all failed to finish in the top nine places this morning, the latter for pace alone while Montella and Alex Lowes both suffered as a result of contact at the first corner, for which Montella received a long lap penalty.
Yari Montella could also play a role today. He was only eighth in Race 1 after contact with Lorenzo Baldassarri, but felt afterwards that he was too cautious at the start of the race, trying to save his rear tyre.
[analyse_source url=”http://crash.net/wsbk/live/1044288/estoril-worldsbk-live-updates-superpole-race-portugal”]