Bulega gatecrashes the Superbike party
Nicolo Bulega went down in history last weekend. Having won his final World Supersport race in Spain last October, he triumphed on his first attempt in World Superbike. The Italian, 24, is just the ninth rider to claim pole on his WSBK debut and seventh to take victory first time out. He also set the fastest lap, having already shattered the Superpole record earlier in the day. No World Supersport Champion has ever claimed the World Superbike title. Could he become the first?
Unlike his teammate, Alvaro Bautista, Bulega doesn’t need to worry about weight ballast as he is taller and heavier. He’s also had a significantly smaller step up from World Supersport than his predecessors; the modern-day ‘Next Generation’ Ducati Panigale V2 supersport machine is not far off the superbikes raced by Carlos Checa or even Chaz Davies a few years ago, hence a far lesser adaptation period is required when trading in one for the other. Furthermore, the fact Bulega has Davies leaning over his shoulder as rider coach is an advantage.
Bulega does it his way, with no greater example than when he walked away from Valentino Rossi’s rider academy. At the age of 12, he claimed the Pre-GP Italian two-stroke title before taking the four-stroke crown a year later. Always consistent, he took one win but seven podiums to win the 2015 Moto3 Junior world title up against Albert Arenas, Aron Canet, Joan Mir and Jaume Masia, while last year he dominated World Supersport.
“This may be the best day of my life,” Bulega said on Saturday. “I’ve been dreaming of this for months. Now it’s a reality. I came out of the last corner, saw my team celebrating and started to cry. It’s very special.”