2026 Australian WorldSBK: Race 1 Results

Results from the opening race of the 2026 World Superbike Championship, the Australian WorldSBK at Phillip Island.

Nicolo Bulega secured a commanding win in Race 1 at Phillip Island, the Italian rider finishing almost five seconds clear of the field in a race in which he was never seriously challenged.

Yari Montella took second place, a position he held from the start and never seemed likely to relinquish.

Lorenzo Baldassarri equalled Montella in taking his first World Superbike podium in Race 1, although the Go Eleven rider's is perhaps even more unlikely than that of Montella given he was out of the championship for the past two seasons.

Axel Bassani made a run at Baldassarri at the end, but couldn't find a way through. The Italian lost time in the middle of the race when he had to give up a position to Sam Lowes after a particularly forceful move at turn four. The Bimota rider took fourth in the end, his best finish aboard the KB998.

Sam Lowes was fifth after getting beaten back down the order from third on the grid in the opening laps. He was with Bassani for much of the final part of the race, but the Italian had the superior pace at the very end.

Iker Lecuona came from 13th to finish sixth on his Ducati debut, passing Alex Lowes for that position as the British rider slipped backwards in the second half of the race, ending in seventh and six seconds behind the battle for the last podium position that he was originally involved in.

Eighth went to Miguel Oliveira who came from the back of the grid to finish as the top BMW rider, two places and 1.6 seconds ahead of Danilo Petrucci who started sixth and finished 10th. Alberto Surra split the BMWs to take ninth on his WorldSBK debut.

There were retirements for both GRT Yamaha riders, Stefano Manzi and Remy Gardner, the latter's coming on the penultimate lap.

There were also two crashes: Alvaro Bautista lost the front at turn 11 on lap two; and Xavi Vierge crashed at turn three, three laps from the finish. Vierge's crash was huge, and he ended up at turn four. His bike was destroyed but he was able to walk away; he was then taken to the medical centre.

Full World Superbike results from Race 1 in Australia are below.