Until now, it might have seemed like a joke: but when it comes to making a difference, Nicolò Bulega tightens his grip and restores order in a Superbike series increasingly dominated by a single rider. On the undulating Donington circuit, he secured his eighth Superpole in eight races: impressive.
By Paul Gozzi
Needless to say, Bulega has once again improved the benchmark, as he has done almost consistently this record-breaking season. His time of 1:24.410 erases the 1:24.629 set by Toprak Razgatlioglu two years ago with BMW. It's also worth noting that Iker Lecuona and Yari Montella have also broken the barrier and will join the driver to beat on the front row for the first two races on British soil. For Bulega, this is the 17th pole position of his career, his ninth consecutive one.
This time, four Ducatis dominated the top of the timesheets, even though Sam Lowes, very fast in the morning, was a little less sharp on the flying lap. Their near-monopoly was interrupted by Xavi Vierge's Yamaha, who secured a strong fifth place, giving the blue team some breathing room after several disappointing outings and a difficult Friday. On the other hand, things remained very complicated for Andrea Locatelli on the same YZF-R1: he finished only 14th.
Rea, the only bright spot at Honda in Superbike
At HRC, the only positive note came from test rider Jonathan Rea, who set the 10th fastest time. Conversely, Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon both dropped out of the top 15. The CBR-RR might be less bad than it looks, but the real problem remains the absence of a top-level rider. BMW kept a low profile with Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci relegated to the middle of the pack. The Portuguese rider crashed at Goddard and was subsequently black-flagged for not immediately returning to the pits.
The British weekend is already over for Alberto Surra, forced to retire due to a functional problem in his right shoulder, which appeared after the third free practice session of the morning. At that point, the Ducati MotoCorsa rider had set the 9th fastest time, with no incident suggesting such a physical ailment, as he had not suffered any impact on the track. Given that this is a chronic issue, it is surprising that Alberto Surra did not rest the previous weekend, having participated in the Race of Champions at the WDW Ducati event in Misano.
The first race at Donington will start at 4:30 PM French time, an unusual time dictated by the British time zone and the necessary adjustment to avoid a clash with the MotoGP Sprint at the Sachsenring. Last year, on this circuit, Toprak Razgatlioglu achieved a resounding hat trick, winning everything with the BMW, then considered unbeatable. Nicolò Bulega has yet to win here in Superbike. Tarran Mackenzie will also miss the start, having suffered a serious injury during Friday afternoon's practice session.
Superbike Donington – Superpole standings:
Ranking : WorldSBK.com
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Paul Gozzi
