P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Full results from Race 1 at the Australian WorldSBK at Phillip Island, the first round of 2026.
The results from the opening race of the 2026 World Superbike Championship, the Australian WorldSBK at Phillip Island, saw Nicolo Bulega claim a dominant victory in Race 1, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of the competition without facing significant challenges.
Yari Montella secured the second position right from the start and maintained a firm grip on it throughout the race, showing no signs of giving it up.
Lorenzo Baldassarri joined Montella on the podium in Race 1, marking his first World Superbike podium achievement, which was especially remarkable considering his absence from the championship in the previous two seasons.
Although Axel Bassani made a late attempt to overtake Baldassarri, he ultimately settled for fourth place, partially due to losing time when yielding a position to Sam Lowes following a forceful move at turn four during the mid-race.
Sam Lowes finished fifth after initially dropping from third on the grid, engaging in battles with Bassani but falling behind in the closing stages of the race due to the Italian’s faster pace.
Iker Lecuona impressed by climbing from 13th to sixth place in his Ducati debut, while Alex Lowes slipped to seventh towards the end of the race, trailing the battle for the podium spots that he was initially part of.
