2026 Assen WorldSBK Friday Practice Results: Nicolo Bulega leads Ducati 1-2-3

Nicolo Bulega completed Friday Practice sweep at the 2026 Assen WorldSBK after dominating both FP1 and FP2 as Ducati locked out the top three spots.

The Italian rider paced his Aruba.it Ducati to a laptime of 1:33.687 in the afternoon session with GoEleven’s Lorenzo Baldassarri emerging as his closest rival, 0.276 seconds off, setting the tone for what promises to be an intense battle in round three of the 2026 World Superbike Championship season.

The TT Circuit Assen, known for its tight, technical layout and high-speed straights that demand precision and bravery from riders, welcomed the WorldSBK field under partly cloudy skies on Friday morning for Free Practice 1, which kicked off at 10:20 local time.

Bulega wasted no time asserting his authority, methodically building his pace through the 45-minute session before unleashing a blistering lap of 1:33.952, the only time in the 1’33s bracket and over a quarter-second clear of the competition.

Ducati locked out the top four positions as his teammate Iker Lecuona slotted into second, followed by Marc VDS’ Sam Lowes and GoEleven’s Lorenzo Baldassarri, highlighting the Italian manufacturer’s early stranglehold on proceedings.

Xavi Vierge provided a glimmer of hope for Yamaha fans in fifth on his Pata Maxus Yamaha R1, while Danilo Petrucci recovered to sixth on the BMW after crashing at the final chicane with six minutes remaining in the session.

The incident came just minutes after Petrucci’s teammate Miguel Oliveira lost his rear at turn 10 in what was a torrid start to the weekend for BMW.

Alvaro Bautista slotted his Barni Spark Racing Ducati into seventh, followed by Alex Lowes on the Bimota KB998, while Yari Montella and Tarran Mackenzie rounded out the top ten.

The afternoon’s Free Practice 2 promised even hotter competition as track temperatures rose to 20 degrees, grip levels increased, and riders aimed to consolidate setups ahead of Saturday’s Superpole.

Bulega, ever the metronome, emerged from the pits early and methodically dismantled the morning benchmark, dipping into an even quicker 1:33.687 lap to complete his Friday practice sweep and underline his status as the man to beat.

Baldassarri was the only rider who managed to join Bulega in the sub-1:33s club with a sharp second-place effort, just 0.276 seconds off the benchmark, while Iker Lecuona maintained his strong form to complete a Ducati 1-2-3 lock out.

BMW’s Danilo Petrucci climbed to fourth as Yamaha’s Xavi Vierge held firm in fifth. Brothers Sam Lowes and Alex Lowes followed in sixth and seventh, respectively, with Alvaro Bautista, Yari Montella and Alberto Surra rounding out the top ten in FP2.

Full 2026 Assen WorldSBK Friday Practice Results

FP2

FP1

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