Ducati has been riding alone in this unusual Superbike season, but this time, we were treated to a real spectacle: the duel between the two factory riders was superb. At Donington Park, Iker Lecuona, the perennial runner-up, withstood Nicolò Bulega's attacks, thus ending his winning streak of 25 consecutive victories. For the former Spanish MotoGP rider, this is his first Superbike win.
By Paolo Gozzi (Corse di Moto)
The Italian rider, destined for MotoGP with the factory Ducati VR46, tried everything to remain undefeated. After being caught off guard at the start by the ever-fast Lecuona, he clung to him like a shadow. Until then, the duel had almost always lasted a few laps, but this time Iker proved unyielding. Bulega tried to overtake in the fast section, at the entrance to the chicane, and twice at the hairpin: four strong attacks that would have broken anyone else. But Iker Lecuona wanted this victory at all costs, and each time, he cut back across the racing line to save his position. It was clear that sooner or later, this incredible streak would end. Iker was fantastic, proving that his seventh place in MotoGP with the Gresini Ducati at Balaton Park was no fluke.
Until now, the world championship for Ducati Aruba had been going perfectly: overwhelming and undeniable technical superiority, Bulega winning, Lecuona playing the fast lieutenant. But in the United Kingdom, the balance was broken, aided by a circuit with heavy braking zones that allowed the Spaniard to raise his game and close the gap. There are two races left this weekend; it will be interesting to see if Nicolò takes this defeat in stride or if he returns to the track even sharper. Sunday promises to be an exciting day…
This time, the spectacle was excellent, but technically, this edition of the Superbike World Championship is becoming increasingly farcical. Six Ducatis occupied the front positions, and Alberto Surra was absent, sidelined with a right shoulder injury, as was Tarran Mackenzie, who had a heavy crash on Friday. These two riders would very likely have further widened the gap to the Panigale V4 Rs. With its new version equipped with a double swingarm and several improvements, Ducati reached a staggering level, shattering lap times and catching everyone off guard, while the other manufacturers were relegated to the role of mere spectators.
Montella on the podium again in Superbike
Among the independent Ducati riders, there's a wild card, and the one who's making the most of it is Yari Montella. Once again on the podium, he's also the only one to have, in a way, withstood the onslaught from the frontrunners, conceding just over six seconds after 23 laps. Bimota, once again the best of the rest, finishes seventh with Alex Lowes, who is always very fast here, but is 17 seconds behind. Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda are practically invisible, and BMW has even disappeared from the proceedings, whereas with Toprak Razgatlioglu, they used to dominate everything here. It feels like a bygone era.
Superbike will take a break after the final two races at Donington, with slightly unusual timings: the 10-lap Superpole Race will start at 12:10 PM French time, while Race 2, a 23-lap race, is scheduled for 16:30 PM, after the end of the German MotoGP Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. Great Britain concludes the summer phase of the world championship: to see Bulega and the others in action again, we'll have to wait until September 5th and 6th at Magny-Cours.
Five of the twelve rounds will have taken place at the same time as MotoGP, with an additional two-month break in the middle of the motorcycle season. It all seems a bit absurd, but apparently, it suits everyone…
Donington Superbike – Race 1 results:
Ranking : WorldSBK.com
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Paul Gozzi
