THE HAT-TRICK CLUB: Bulega’s Australia triple adds a new name to an exclusive WorldSBK list
The #11 became just the fifth rider to secure a WorldSBK hat-trick when he scored a triple Down Under after a flawless weekend
Since the introduction of the Tissot Superpole Race for the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, securing a hat-trick has been added to the list of possible achievements. Despite 2025 being the sixth season of the format, only a handful of riders had managed to take a maximum 62 points from a single round. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) added his name to that list at the 2025 season-opener, with the #11 unbeatable throughout the Australian Round.
THE FIRST MEMBER: Bautista’s stunning debut makes him the first (total hat-tricks: 10)
While Bulega is the latest rider to achieve the triple, teammate Alvaro Bautista was the first to do so – and he did so at the same venue. Making his WorldSBK debut after his switch from MotoGP™, the #19 stunned the paddock to take a dominant hat-trick on debut in the first round of the three-race format. He took 11 consecutive wins to start his 2019 title charge although ultimately came up short, and now has 10 hat-tricks to his name.
REA RESPONDS: two hat-tricks in 2019 (total hat-tricks: 4)
Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) was in a fierce fight for the 2019 title with Bautista and he had to respond to limit the damage after the Spaniard’s incredible start to the season. He did so when the #19 suffered several crashes, and he took his first of four WorldSBK hat-tricks on home soil as he won all three races at Donington Park. The disappointment for Rea will be that he hasn’t taken three wins in a round since the 2021 Dutch Round.
RAZGATLIOGLU BECOMES THE THIRD: ‘El Turco’ takes Donington 2022 triple (total hat-tricks: 6)
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had been knocking on the door of three wins in a round for a while following his move to Yamaha for 2020 but didn’t manage it in his title-winning 2021 campaign. It wasn’t until Donington Park in 2022 that he would first achieve the same as Bautista and Rea, before repeating it at Mandalika in the same year. In 2024, following a switch to BMW, ‘El Turco’ took four consecutive hat-tricks on his way to a second WorldSBK crown.
FIRST INDEPENDENT HAT-TRICK: Petrucci stuns on home soil (total hat-tricks: 1)
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) made history during the inaugural visit to Cremona last year. Previously, only factory riders had taken hat-tricks, but the #9’s stunning performances on home soil – coming months after a horrific motocross training injury earlier in the year – meant he became the first Independent rider to secure a hat-trick, giving the packed-out Cremona grandstands some very emotional scenes.
THE LATEST MEMBER: Bulega unbeatable in Australia (total hat-tricks: 1)
The 22nd hat-trick in WorldSBK came courtesy of only the fifth rider to achieve one, as Bulega etched his name in the history books. He headed into the Australian Round after topping all four sessions in the Official Test, and topped every session during the round too as he won all three races. In fact, the only time he was beaten was in the Race 2 fastest lap charts, when Bautista just pipped him, but ‘Bulegas’ still adding his name into the hat-trick club.
Will any more riders add their name to the hat-trick club in 2025? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
