The battle heats up in Cremona, but in the end, it’s once again Nicolò Bulega who dominates: a bitter race for Lecuona, who crashes out after climbing to fourth place.
Nicolò Bulega wins again on home soil: WorldSBK Race 1 in Cremona has just concluded, and the Italian from Team Aruba.it is proving more and more unstoppable. Rider #11 wins yet another duel with the Turk, further asserting his dominance this season.
On the other hand, Razgatlioglu can do little against a bike clearly superior in race pace. Still, he salvages the maximum possible result with a respectable second-place finish. Completing the podium is Alvaro Bautista, who, after crashes in FP1 and FP2, regains composure on race day.
Race Summary:
THE START – Great start from Bulega and Razgatlioglu, while Sam Lowes stalls and drops from second to fifth. Despite not being in perfect physical condition, Jonathan Rea gains five positions quickly, moving into 12th. Tito Rabat immediately encounters bike issues, while wildcard Gabriele Ruiu ends up in the gravel.
At the beginning of lap two, Andrea Locatelli crashes in turn 2, while up front, the relentless fight between the two main title contenders kicks off: after leading for three laps, the Turk is forced to give up the lead to his rival, whose pace is clearly superior.
Behind them, Alvaro Bautista rides alone in a rather uneventful third place. In contrast, the battle for fourth is intense: Iannone, Gardner, Lecuona, Vierge, and Van der Mark are all chasing those 13 valuable points. Suddenly, Honda Team’s #7 Iker Lecuona picks up the pace and looks strong, but a nasty crash ends his race in the gravel — a disappointing result after promising form.
Tarran Mackenzie also retires, while Jonathan Rea runs wide at turn 12, undoing the gains from his strong start.
Photo: Nicolò Bulega
