{"id":1880078,"date":"2026-04-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1880078"},"modified":"2026-04-13T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T05:00:00","slug":"only-one-worldsbk-rider-has-started-a-season-better-than-nicolo-bulega-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1880078","title":{"rendered":"Only one WorldSBK rider has started a season better than Nicolo Bulega in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1600&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9&#8243;]<\/p>\n<article>\n<header id=\"lbs-article\" class=\"article header article-header section layout layout--article-header\">\n<div class=\"col headline\">\n<div>\n<h1>Only one WorldSBK rider has started a season better than Nicolo Bulega in 2026<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"summary body\">\n<p>Only one rider in WorldSBK history has started a season with greater dominance than Nicolo Bulega in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section two-column\">\n<div class=\"col article-info\">\n<div>\n<address> Alex Whitworth <\/address>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><time datetime=\"2026-04-13T09:00:00+01:00\">13 Apr 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col article-actions\">\n<div class=\"block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block\">\n<div class=\"social-sharing-buttons\"><span class=\"ssb-title\"> Share<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"lbs-content\" class=\"content wide-two-column-sticky section layout layout--wide-two-column-sticky\">\n<div class=\"col first-column\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure> <source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1920&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1920w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1800&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1600&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1500&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1500w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1200&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 1200w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=900&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 900w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=800&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=600&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=400&amp;format=webp&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9 400w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 710px, (min-width:768px) 62vw, 97vw\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><figcaption>\n<div>Carl Fogarty after winning both races at the 1995 German World Superbike. Credit: Gold and\u2026<\/div>\n<div class=\"source\"> \u00a9\u00a0Gold &amp; Goose<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-preferred-source\">\n<div class=\"preferred-source-cta\">  Add as a preferred source <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nicolo Bulega\u2019s start to 2026 has been almost perfect in WorldSBK, but somehow it is not the most dominant start to a season in the championship\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Bulega has won all six races and scored pole position at both World Superbike rounds so far this year. He\u2019s also led all but three of the racing laps (hence \u2018almost\u2019 perfect).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The result for him is a 56-point championship lead after six races, and the combined points of the riders in second and fourth in the standings \u2013 Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira \u2013 would exactly equal his 124-point total through two rounds.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It seems impossible that anyone could achieve a better start to the season, and yet it has happened \u2013 31 years ago, to be precise, in 1996.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">That year, it was another Ducati rider who dominated the opening phase of the season.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Carl Fogarty won four of the first six races in 1995; the two he didn\u2019t win were at round two at Misano, where he was second to Mauro Lucchiari on both occasions.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lucchiari had retired from the first race and was seventh in Race 2 at the opening round. At round three at Donington he went 9-10, and after that 10th place in race six of the season he was 68 points behind Fogarty \u2013 a gap 12 points larger than Bulega\u2019s at the moment after the sixth race of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-cf37c7eea1cd6da4b16cd6b34ac76e653ac91ea803ed3c7c3169bc30c3ba9328\">  Miguel Oliveira opposes Ducati WorldSBK performance penalties   Nicolo Bulega&#8217;s WorldSBK numbers put Marco Bezzecchi&#8217;s MotoGP stats in the shade <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Outside of his double-win at Misano, Lucchiari scored only 106 points in 1995 and finished ninth in the final standings.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fogarty, of course, went on to win the title that year with 13 race wins and 20 podiums from 24 races. His margin at the end of the season was 139 points over Troy Corser.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fogarty\u2019s 140-point haul in the first six races of 1995 were equivalent to 93.3 per cent of the points available, which is obviously 6.7 per cent less than what Bulega has achieved this year with his perfect 124-point maximum from the opening six races \u2013 which in 2026 take place over two rounds rather than the three of 1995 owing to the three-race format that includes the 12-point Superpole Race.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article_2\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-e8260af9cfcb6e4b4809a3df96afdf382bfd6bb9d32392481c29217038da00da\">  Nicolo Bulega enjoys \u201cspecial\u201d Portuguese WorldSBK, Toprak Razgatlioglu record nears   The \u201ctarget\u201d achieved by one Ducati rider at Portuguese WorldSBK <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The bigger gap for Fogarty, then, is accounted for by a lower point score for Lucchiari in the first six races of 1995 than Leucona\u2019s in the first six races of 2026. In fact, Lucchiari\u2019s 72 points through the first six races of 1995 were equal to 48 per cent of the maximum 150 available, while Lecuona\u2019s 68 points this year is equal to 54.8 per cent of the maximum 124 available.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lecuona, then, has had a better start to the year than Lucchiari had in 1995, which is probably a good sign considering where Lucchiari ended up in the standings by the end of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But trailing his teammate already by only six points shy of the equivalent of one round is nonetheless indicative of the margin the Spaniard has to find to really take the challenge to his factory Ducati teammate, and therefore of the command Bulega has over the World Superbike field at present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h2>In this article<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">Nicolo Bulega<\/div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">Aruba.it Racing &#8211; Ducati<\/div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">Iker Lecuona<\/div>\n<div class=\"field_keywords\">Carl Fogarty MBE<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-next-prev\">\n<div class=\"next-prev-pager contextual-region\">\n<div class=\"items\">\n<div class=\"item prev\">\n<h3>  Previous<\/h3>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\"> Andrea Iannone in surprise Superbike return after 2026 WorldSBK plans collapsed<\/div>\n<source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=1920&amp;format=webp 1920w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=1800&amp;format=webp 1800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=1600&amp;format=webp 1600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=1500&amp;format=webp 1500w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=1200&amp;format=webp 1200w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=900&amp;format=webp 900w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=800&amp;format=webp 800w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=600&amp;format=webp 600w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-04\/gng_1199891_hires_1600x900.jpg?width=400&amp;format=webp 400w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 710px, (min-width:768px) 62vw, 97vw\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-block block block-configurable-views-block\">\n<div class=\"author-view grid-view js-view-dom-id-6404d842446f0661be54c3d59809e8b1ec1b233b2f4b1067d223fe95d7003e27\">\n<div class=\"card user default\">\n<div class=\"image\"> <source srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/pictures\/picture-100393850-1649415070.jpg?height=270&amp;format=webp 270w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/pictures\/picture-100393850-1649415070.jpg?height=180&amp;format=webp 180w,https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/pictures\/picture-100393850-1649415070.jpg?height=90&amp;format=webp 90w\" sizes=\"100px\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"header\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"name\">Alex Whitworth<\/div>\n<div class=\"role\">Journalist<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"desc\">\n<p>Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"views-element-container block block-views-blockrelated-content-related-content-block\">\n<h3>More News<\/h3>\n<div class=\"grid-view grid-2 js-view-dom-id-338cb6ef2b1850a47ec16c0b33d78c7f9e99525389ddd56f2bfdb3d552bea348\">\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> World Superbikes  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Why WorldSBK wins \u201cstill far\u201d from Iker Lecuona despite breakthrough podium<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1774728901\"> 28\/03\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-03\/gng_1302223_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Iker Lecuona, 2026 Portuguese WorldSBK. Credit: Gold and Goose.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> World Superbikes  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nicolo Bulega wary of overconfidence as unbeaten WorldSBK run continues<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1774724798\"> 28\/03\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-03\/gng_1302235_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Portuguese WorldSBK, podium. Credit: Gold and Goose.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> World Superbikes  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bulega WorldSBK rival vows \u201cthis is the first step\u201d after Superpole threat<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1774699929\"> 28\/03\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-03\/gng_1302056_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Nicolo Bulega, Iker Lecuona, 2026 Portuguese WorldSBK, parc ferme. Credit: Gold and Goose.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> World Superbikes  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nicolo Bulega searching for \u201canother direction\u201d at Portuguese WorldSBK<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1774636477\"> 27\/03\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-03\/gng_1300536_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Portuguese WorldSBK, leaving pit box. Credit: Gold and Goose.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> World Superbikes  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nicolo Bulega expects Portuguese WorldSBK \u201cstruggle\u201d after Australia domination<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1774546153\"> 26\/03\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-03\/gng_1291405_hires-1.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Australian WorldSBK, media day. Credit: Gold and Goose.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"card card_default\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"links\">\n<div class=\"sections\"> World Superbikes  News <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ducati \u201creached the limit\u201d of WorldSBK challenger ahead of 2026 update<\/p>\n<div class=\"card-info\">\n<div class=\"time\" data-timestamp=\"1774523959\"> 26\/03\/26<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2026-03\/gng_1291148_hires.jpg?aspect_ratio=1:1\" alt=\"Nicolo Bulega, 2026 Phillip Island WorldSBK Test. Credit: Gold and Goose.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"summary body\">\n<p>Only one rider in WorldSBK history has started a season with greater dominance than Nicolo Bulega in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nicolo Bulega\u2019s start to 2026 has been almost perfect in WorldSBK, but somehow it is not the most dominant start to a season in the championship\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Bulega has won all six races and scored pole position at both World Superbike rounds so far this year. He\u2019s also led all but three of the racing laps (hence \u2018almost\u2019 perfect).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The result for him is a 56-point championship lead after six races, and the combined points of the riders in second and fourth in the standings \u2013 Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira \u2013 would exactly equal his 124-point total through two rounds.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It seems impossible that anyone could achieve a better start to the season, and yet it has happened \u2013 31 years ago, to be precise, in 1996.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">That year, it was another Ducati rider who dominated the opening phase of the season.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Carl Fogarty won four of the first six races in 1995; the two he didn\u2019t win were at round two at Misano, where he was second to Mauro Lucchiari on both occasions.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lucchiari had retired from the first race and was seventh in Race 2 at the opening round. At round three at Donington he went 9-10, and after that 10th place in race six of the season he was 68 points behind Fogarty \u2013 a gap 12 points larger than Bulega\u2019s at the moment after the sixth race of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-cf37c7eea1cd6da4b16cd6b34ac76e653ac91ea803ed3c7c3169bc30c3ba9328\">  Miguel Oliveira opposes Ducati WorldSBK performance penalties   Nicolo Bulega&#8217;s WorldSBK numbers put Marco Bezzecchi&#8217;s MotoGP stats in the shade <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Outside of his double-win at Misano, Lucchiari scored only 106 points in 1995 and finished ninth in the final standings.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fogarty, of course, went on to win the title that year with 13 race wins and 20 podiums from 24 races. His margin at the end of the season was 139 points over Troy Corser.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fogarty\u2019s 140-point haul in the first six races of 1995 were equivalent to 93.3 per cent of the points available, which is obviously 6.7 per cent less than what Bulega has achieved this year with his perfect 124-point maximum from the opening six races \u2013 which in 2026 take place over two rounds rather than the three of 1995 owing to the three-race format that includes the 12-point Superpole Race.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article_2\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-e8260af9cfcb6e4b4809a3df96afdf382bfd6bb9d32392481c29217038da00da\">  Nicolo Bulega enjoys \u201cspecial\u201d Portuguese WorldSBK, Toprak Razgatlioglu record nears   The \u201ctarget\u201d achieved by one Ducati rider at Portuguese WorldSBK <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The bigger gap for Fogarty, then, is accounted for by a lower point score for Lucchiari in the first six races of 1995 than Leucona\u2019s in the first six races of 2026. In fact, Lucchiari\u2019s 72 points through the first six races of 1995 were equal to 48 per cent of the maximum 150 available, while Lecuona\u2019s 68 points this year is equal to 54.8 per cent of the maximum 124 available.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lecuona, then, has had a better start to the year than Lucchiari had in 1995, which is probably a good sign considering where Lucchiari ended up in the standings by the end of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But trailing his teammate already by only six points shy of the equivalent of one round is nonetheless indicative of the margin the Spaniard has to find to really take the challenge to his factory Ducati teammate, and therefore of the command Bulega has over the World Superbike field at present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Nicolo Bulega\u2019s start to 2026 has been almost perfect in WorldSBK, but somehow it is not the most dominant start to a season in the championship\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Bulega has won all six races and scored pole position at both World Superbike rounds so far this year. He\u2019s also led all but three of the racing laps (hence \u2018almost\u2019 perfect).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The result for him is a 56-point championship lead after six races, and the combined points of the riders in second and fourth in the standings \u2013 Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira \u2013 would exactly equal his 124-point total through two rounds.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It seems impossible that anyone could achieve a better start to the season, and yet it has happened \u2013 31 years ago, to be precise, in 1996.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">That year, it was another Ducati rider who dominated the opening phase of the season.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Carl Fogarty won four of the first six races in 1995; the two he didn\u2019t win were at round two at Misano, where he was second to Mauro Lucchiari on both occasions.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lucchiari had retired from the first race and was seventh in Race 2 at the opening round. At round three at Donington he went 9-10, and after that 10th place in race six of the season he was 68 points behind Fogarty \u2013 a gap 12 points larger than Bulega\u2019s at the moment after the sixth race of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-cf37c7eea1cd6da4b16cd6b34ac76e653ac91ea803ed3c7c3169bc30c3ba9328\">  Miguel Oliveira opposes Ducati WorldSBK performance penalties   Nicolo Bulega&#8217;s WorldSBK numbers put Marco Bezzecchi&#8217;s MotoGP stats in the shade <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Outside of his double-win at Misano, Lucchiari scored only 106 points in 1995 and finished ninth in the final standings.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fogarty, of course, went on to win the title that year with 13 race wins and 20 podiums from 24 races. His margin at the end of the season was 139 points over Troy Corser.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Fogarty\u2019s 140-point haul in the first six races of 1995 were equivalent to 93.3 per cent of the points available, which is obviously 6.7 per cent less than what Bulega has achieved this year with his perfect 124-point maximum from the opening six races \u2013 which in 2026 take place over two rounds rather than the three of 1995 owing to the three-race format that includes the 12-point Superpole Race.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-block\">\n<div class=\"mpu-title\"><span>Article continues below<\/span><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div class=\"block\">\n<div class=\"ins-related_content dsp-related_content_in_article_2\">\n<h2>Read More<\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-content-in-body js-view-dom-id-e8260af9cfcb6e4b4809a3df96afdf382bfd6bb9d32392481c29217038da00da\">  Nicolo Bulega enjoys \u201cspecial\u201d Portuguese WorldSBK, Toprak Razgatlioglu record nears   The \u201ctarget\u201d achieved by one Ducati rider at Portuguese WorldSBK <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The bigger gap for Fogarty, then, is accounted for by a lower point score for Lucchiari in the first six races of 1995 than Leucona\u2019s in the first six races of 2026. In fact, Lucchiari\u2019s 72 points through the first six races of 1995 were equal to 48 per cent of the maximum 150 available, while Lecuona\u2019s 68 points this year is equal to 54.8 per cent of the maximum 124 available.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lecuona, then, has had a better start to the year than Lucchiari had in 1995, which is probably a good sign considering where Lucchiari ended up in the standings by the end of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">But trailing his teammate already by only six points shy of the equivalent of one round is nonetheless indicative of the margin the Spaniard has to find to really take the challenge to his factory Ducati teammate, and therefore of the command Bulega has over the World Superbike field at present.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;http:\/\/crash.net\/wsbk\/news\/1092956\/1\/only-one-worldsbk-rider-has-started-season-better-nicolo-bulega-2026&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.crash.net\/2025-03\/GnG_199618_HiRes.jpg?width=1600&amp;aspect_ratio=16:9&#8243;] Only one WorldSBK rider has started a season better than Nicolo Bulega in 2026 Only one rider in WorldSBK history has started a season with greater dominance than Nicolo Bulega in 2026. Alex Whitworth 13 Apr 2026 Share Carl Fogarty after winning both races at the 1995 German World Superbike. Credit: Gold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[47,226],"class_list":["post-1880078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crash-net","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1880078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1880078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1880078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1880078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1880078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1880078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}