Race 2 of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit marked the first wet race of 2026 with challenging conditions for the entirety of the 22-lap race.

A significant downpour before the start left visibility limited, yet even in the most difficult conditions of the weekend, it was once again Nicolò Bulega who asserted control immediately. The Italian surged clear on the opening lap, building a half-second advantage before the field had even exited Sector 2.

The first faller of the race was Mattia Rato, crashing at Turn 4 on the opening lap during his debut WorldSBK weekend. While the wet conditions didn’t change the order too much at the front, with usual battlers of Bulega, Yari Montella, and Axel Bassani leading the way. But, it was the remainder of the order that finally saw a shake-up.

Andrea Locatelli was one of many riders who capitalised in the wet conditions after a difficult weekend, moving forward as others struggled for grip. and confidence. Lorenzo Baldassarri, fresh from a Race 1 podium, was handed a double long lap penalty for a jump start and required to serve it within five laps, ending his hopes of another rostrum.

Miguel Oliveira, who had been carving through the field from the rear in previous races, did not make quite the same explosive progress this time but worked his way into 13th within the first 10 laps, just ahead of Australia’s Remy Gardner, who continues to manage injury in what has been a challenging home round.

The conditions began to claim high-profile victims as the race unfolded. Sam Lowes crashed on Lap 8, the first major casualty of the afternoon. It was a disappointing end to what had otherwise been a strong weekend for the Brit, who had secured two top-five finishes.

Heartbreak then struck Montella. Running second with six laps remaining, the Italian highsided at the top of Lukey Heights after the rear stepped out, ending a promising ride, further reshuffling the podium fight.

The incident promoted Alvaro Bautista into third and handed Tarran Mackenzie an impressive fourth place. Prior to this race, Mackenzie’s best WorldSBK finish had been seventh at Jerez last season.

Drama continued when Alex Lowes crashed out of fifth at Turn 1 while attempting to set up a move on Mackenzie. The rear stepped out mid-corner, resulting in a fast fall, though fortunately not a highside. Lowes’ exit elevated Locatelli to fifth, marking a significant turnaround after a difficult start to the weekend.

At the front, Bulega was once again untouchable. He secured victory to complete a perfect Phillip Island weekend, topping every session of the Official Test, every Free Practice and 1 of 2 Warm Ups, claiming Superpole, and winning all three races.

Second place went to Bassani, Mr Consistent across the entire week, while Bautista’s experience shone through to secure third in the demanding conditions.

Gardner crossed the line in 13th, his best result of the weekend on home soil, while Oliveira delivered another recovery ride to finish seventh after starting 21st.

Nicolo Bulega – “Honestly, I don’t know what to say, because in dry condition, I was very fast. I had to confirm that in dry conditions, I was very strong here. And today, before race 2, I was a bit angry because I didn’t want rain. I think everybody didn’t want rain, but for me, it was more important because I knew that in dry condition, I had something more. 
So when I see that it was raining, I was angry, but then I tried to put this anger into energy and tried to make the difference also in the wet and it was a very good race. The race was too long because I really had to be careful because from the asphalt, the track was a bit slippery. So it was very, very long. But anyway, I’m really happy to win a race, also in a different condition then in the dry.”

Axel Bassani – “No, honestly, right before the race, I was not expecting the race to end like this because in the test during the winter testing, we did some laps on the wet and my feeling was not really good with the bike. So I tried to start clean, consistent, do not make a lot of mistakes and in the end this paid off. 
The feeling was good with the bike, but not 100%. At some points it was difficult, especially on the entry, to control the bike and from that the trouble also was with the rear was not easy, but I think in a general thing for everyone we finished double podium today, so we have to be happy with it.”

The top six from WorldSBK Race 2, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
2. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +11.336s
3. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) +17.790s
4. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) +28.356s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) +30.966s
6. Danilo Petrucci (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +31.901s
Fastest Lap – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.406s

Championship standings

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 62 points
2. Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) 42
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 26
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) 25
5. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) 19
6. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 19