Bulega’s Heartbreak at Assen

Championship leader Nicolò Bulega suffers back-to-back DNFs from winning positions, gifting Locatelli’s maiden WorldSBK win as Yamaha breaks 14-year Assen drought.

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Nicolò Bulega endured a nightmare Sunday at the TT Circuit Assen as two mechanical failures robbed the WorldSBK championship leader of almost certain podium finishes in both the Superpole Race and Race 2. 

The Aruba.it Racing Ducati star, who dominated Saturday’s Race 1, first retired from second place in the wet Superpole Race before suffering a heartbreaking last-lap failure while leading Race 2 by over two seconds.

The Italian had been poised to extend his championship advantage after carving through the field from tenth on the Race 2 grid, only for his Panigale V4 R to cut out identically to his morning failure. “I don’t know what to say,” a devastated Bulega admitted. “We’re checking the problem, but both failures felt exactly the same.” His misfortune gifted Pata Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli a maiden victory.

Bulega retains the points lead heading to his home round at Cremona but with reduced margin over struggling rival Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. “I lost so much today,” Bulega reflected. “Now I must focus on recovering those points in Italy.” Ducati engineers face urgent diagnostics before the championship resumes on May 11-13, where Bulega will seek redemption at WorldSBK’s first visit to the Cremona Circuit.

The double retirement marked Bulega’s first scoreless Sunday of 2025, abruptly halting momentum from his commanding Saturday victory where he’d led every lap. Technical staff confirmed both failures originated from separate electrical issues, with no apparent connection between the incidents.

As the paddock packs for Italy, Ducati’s reliability crisis overshadows what should have been a thriving weekend, while Yamaha celebrates its first Assen victory since 2009. For Bulega, the challenge shifts from extending a championship lead to repairing both his machine and morale before the passionate home crowd at Cremona.