In the world of motorcycle racing, the dominance of the Bulega-Ducati duo has left the WorldSBK championship in a state of predictability, according to six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea. With only two riders, Nicolo Bulega and Iker Lecuona, from the factory Ducati team remaining in championship contention after eight rounds of the 2026 season, the series is lacking excitement, as Bulega and Lecuona have won 23 and 1 races respectively. This dominance has led to a situation where not only do you need a Ducati to win races, but you also need one to be even remotely competitive. The gap between Ducati and other manufacturers is never closing, despite Ducati being 0.5kg/h under the minimum fuel flow limit allowed in the regulations. For the fan watching on TV, this lack of competition leads to remarkable predictability, which is the primary obstacle to sporting excitement. Jonathan Rea believes that Superbike should be exciting, and he is not alone in this sentiment. The dominance of Ducati has left other manufacturers struggling to keep up, and the sportbike market is tough, making it difficult for them to build a 'super-super-superbike'. The situation is particularly challenging for manufacturers like Bimota, Honda, Yamaha, and BMW, who need hope to keep fighting. In my opinion, the dominance of Ducati has created a situation where the championship is lacking excitement, and it is up to everyone else to catch up. The level of performance from Bulega and Ducati is incredible, but it is also a headache for other manufacturers to bring excitement back to the sport. The responsibility lies with both the championship to try to balance and make it more production bike-friendly and fair for all types of production bikes, and the other manufacturers to step up and compete. The future of WorldSBK is uncertain, but one thing is clear: the dominance of Ducati has left a void that needs to be filled to restore excitement to the championship.
