When one rider dominates a championship as much as Nicolò Bulega did in 2026, it becomes easy for everyone else to fade into the background. The dominant victories, the records and the championship celebrations understandably commanded the headlines throughout the season. But behind Bulega's blazing red Ducati, other careers were changing direction. Breakthrough performances, comebacks and opportunities gave the season stories that extend beyond its champion.
Nobody experienced the challenge of racing alongside Bulega more so than Iker Lecuona. He finished his first season with the factory Ducati team second in the championship, but the final standings don't capture what the year meant for him. He'd pushed Bulega hard during Aragón's Superpole Race, missing the win by just 0.594 seconds, before finally getting the better of his teammate at Donington Park. Never more than six tenths apart at the end of each lap of Race 1, the Ducati teammates gave us an incredible contest and a masterclass in wheel-to-wheel racing. For me, the race-long duel was the highlight of the season, with Lecuona resisting Bulega's repeated attacks and securing a maiden victory by just 0.165 seconds. Superbike racing at its very finest!
Lecuona's first victory was a much celebrated milestone for the Spaniard. Finally, after 140 WorldSBK race starts without a win, he'd done it. He'd beaten his teammate in an incredibly hard fought battle, just days after becoming a father, and dedicated the victory to his daughter Luna.
The following morning, however, we were supplied a reminder of just how quickly fortunes can change: Lecuona crashed from the lead of the Superpole Race. Yet his breakthrough the day before was not a one-off. A hat-trick at Cremona demonstrated what he could achieve when everything came together. Bulega was the benchmark, but by the end of 2026, Lecuona had established himself as a race winner and a genuine challenger. With his teammate heading to MotoGP, could 2027 be his year?
While Lecuona was chasing victories, Yari Montella was producing the season's most impressive transformation. After a difficult rookie season in 2025 that left him 18th in the standings, the Barni Ducati rider finished 2026 an impressive third and secured the Independent Riders' title. His progress is a reminder that a difficult first season doesn't have to define a rider's future.
A first triple-podium weekend at Most helped establish his credentials. It wasn't all plain sailing, though; a crash in Race 2 capped a disappointing weekend in Aragón. But then, a return to the podium at Misano showed his ability to bounce back. The key to his progress was consistency: Two 2nd places and twelve 3rds made him a regular on the top steps, rather than just an occasional visitor.
He wasn't the only independent Ducati rider making an impression in 2026. Sam Lowes recovered from a fractured wrist at the opening round at Phillip Island to claim 12 podiums during the year. Crashes and uneven weekends were costly for the Brit, but a podium treble at Jerez secured him fourth overall, nine points ahead of his twin brother Alex.
For Alex, finishing fifth overall meant he was the highest placed non-Ducati rider. Bimota had begun the year in style, with Alex and Axel Bassani sharing the Phillip Island Superpole Race podium, the manufacturer's first double podium since 1988. Bassani went on to finish seventh overall, giving Bimota two riders inside the top ten.
Elsewhere on the grid, GoElevan Ducati rider Lorenzo Baldassarri opened his season with a maiden WorldSBK podium in Australia and finished sixth overall. Motocorsa Ducati rookie Alberto Surra's strongest performances came later in the year: a first podium at Cremona followed by three third places at Estoril. Finishing eighth in the final standings, he's given himself a promising foundation for his second season. Ducati's dominance extended well beyond its factory garage in 2026.
For others, the season didn't quite go to plan. Miguel Oliveira delighted his home crowd with three podiums at Portimão. But then injury at Balaton interrupted his rookie campaign with a lengthy recovery. His BMW teammate Danilo Petrucci endured an even more difficult year, struggling to adapt to the M1000 RR after three seasons on Ducatis, with a fractured coccyx at Most adding to his woes.
Álvaro Bautista's campaign was a mix of determination and frustration. Returning at Aragón less than two weeks after surgery on his foot and ankle fractures demonstrated the two-time champion's determination. At Jerez, in what may have been his final WorldSBK appearance, a podium seemed within his grasp but some late rain gave Sam Lowes an edge as he passed him on the last lap. Bautista finished ninth in the championship and, with no confirmed ride for 2027, his future remains uncertain.
That uncertainty makes for an intriguing winter. Some riders finish 2026 with confidence earned, others with questions still unanswered. Michelin's arrival in 2027, replacing Pirelli as the championship's tyre, adds another unknown for the season. Whether the switch changes the balance of power obviously remains to be seen, but it will certainly give the riders and teams another challenge to get to grips with.
Bulega will understandably define how 2026 is remembered. But as the championship moves on without him, the stories beyond Bulega are only just getting started.
