The WSBK begins to pick up the pace with its visit to Hungary. After the weekend in Assen less than fifteen days ago, an important moment arrives in the championship which, by the way, faces the last round of its first third. That means that the way things go at Balaton Park, the dynamics of the rest of the year will be quite defined.
We must not lose sight of the fact that in the month and a half between the Hungarian round and the Emilia Romagna round in Misano, there will be two other rounds and that means finishing more than half of the championship by June 14. Thus, each of the weekend’s races will have a specific and real value.
In the peculiar Balaton Park we will have to pay attention to whether Iker Lecuona’s progression continues at the level we have seen since the beginning of the season and he can stand up to Nicolo Bulega who at the moment monopolizes the first position. And thanks to these results Bulega is an outstanding leader and even if he did not race in Hungary he would continue to be so. The 69 point lead is more than one round and we have only been three.
That is why the attention will focus on Iker, because the third place overall, Sam Lowes, is already 104 points behind Bulega but Miguel Ángel Oliveira, the fourth, is 117 points away or, in other words, almost two rounds ahead. Obviously there is a lot of championship ahead, but the feeling currently is that Bulega will only have Lecuona as a real rival.
Of course, the battle for third place not only in the general classification but in each of the races is being truly crazy, with very exciting confrontations and several drivers fighting both for the third step on the podium and to enter the top5. It will be necessary to see if, protected by the regulations, measures are taken to match Ducati’s performance compared to the rest of the brands and give more opportunities to Bimota, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha.
Precisely at Honda they will still be without Jake Dixon who is still recovering from his preseason injury. This time it will not be Jonathan Rea who will fill the position but Yuki Kunii, a 23-year-old Japanese driver who competes in the All Japan with Honda.
Details of Balaton Park
After reaching the championship last year, the Hungarian route repeats. A track with a high number of curves (17) for a short length, as it only has 4,075 meters. Even so, it is a track, as could be seen last year, quite fast and with different overtaking points, but also critical points.
We already know that turn one is one of them. In fact we saw falls last season in different outings. So are some of its chicanes, where the danger of falling and returning the bike and rider to the middle of the track is a reality. Even so, the truth is that last year there were overtaking and excitement, so in that sense you cannot ask for more from the track that, in terms of safety, did show weaknesses in its first appointment.
Where to watch Superbike Hungary 2026
As usual, there are different ways to follow the Superbike World Championship live, both free and paid. The most accessible option is DAZN, which allows you to watch all the action (from Friday free practice to Sunday races) simply by registering on the platform, without having to sign up for any payment plan.
Another free alternative is Teledeporte, which will continue to offer live races. In addition, these broadcasts can also be seen through RTVE Play, the public channel’s online platform.
For those who opt for paid options or want broader coverage, Eurosport will broadcast the championship on its Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 channels, as well as on the MAX app. Added to this is the official WSBK Videopass, which offers complete coverage of the championship.
Superbike schedules Hungary 2026
Friday, May 1
09:00-09:25 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Free Practice
09:40-10:05 – WorldWCR Free Practice
10:20-11:05 – WorldSBK Free Practice 1
11:20-12:00 – WorldSSP Free Practice
13:30-13:55 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Superpole
14:10-14:35 – WorldWCR Tissot Superpole
15:00-15:45 – WorldSBK Free Practice 2
16:00-16:40 – WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
Saturday May 2
09:00-09:10 – WorldWCR Warm Up
09:20-09:30 – WorldSSP Warm Up
09:40-10:00 – WorldSBK Free Practice 3
10:20 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Race 1 (10 laps)
11:15-11:30 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole
13:00 – WorldWCR Race 1 (11 laps)
14:00 – WorldSSP Race 1 (18 laps)
15:30 – WorldSBK Race 1 (21 laps)
Sunday May 3
09:00-09:10 – WorldWCR Warm Up
09:20-09:30 – WorldSBK Warm Up
09:40-09:50 – WorldSSP Warm Up
10:10 – Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Race 1 (10 laps)
11:10 – WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)
13:00 – WorldWCR Race 1 (11 laps)
14:00 – WorldSSP Race 1 (18 laps)
15:30 – WorldSBK Race 1 (21 laps)
