Bulega claims 40th consecutive podium as Lecuona finishes second and Bautista sixth

Nicolò Bulega completed another perfect Sunday at Magny-Cours, winning the final race of the ninth round of the World Superbike Championship and extending his remarkable run to 40 consecutive podiums.

The Ducati rider finished in 31 minutes, 31.396 seconds. Iker Lecuona, his teammate, took second in 31:36.854, nearly six seconds behind. Yari Montella completed the podium, while Álvaro Bautista finished sixth in 31:31.446.

Lecuona had challenged Bulega in the first race and led for several laps, but he could not beat the championship leader in the final contest. He said the race became difficult after changes to the motorcycle failed to work as expected and his tire performance deteriorated from the fourth lap. “It was very tough. I had to work with the bike, because many things changed from the Superpole to race two and they did not work for us,” Lecuona told the organizers. “From the fourth lap, the tire no longer responded and it took its toll.”

The race was again disrupted by crashes. Thomas Bridewell’s fall brought out the red flag with two laps remaining, just as it had in Saturday’s race, and officials declared the result. Alex Lowes crashed around the halfway point but rejoined, while Jake Dixon also went down at turn 13. Bautista had run seventh while trying to close on Bridewell before the incident changed the classification.

Bulega now has 83 podiums and 26 victories from 27 possible races. The result further increased his championship lead, although he must wait until the meeting in Cremona, Italy, to secure the title.

“

It was very tough. I had to work with the bike, because many things changed from the Superpole to race two and they did not work for us. From the fourth lap, the tire no longer responded and it took its toll.