The young Ducati rider, Nicholas Bulega, finishes the job in the last Superbike race in Cremona: three wins out of three. Toprak Razgatlioglu, however, limits the damage and keeps the BMW on track. Alvaro Bautista still third.
De Paul Gozzi / Corsedimoto.com
We want to complicate the Superbike regulations to create a balance, then the phenomenon Nicholas Bulega appears and the uncertainty fades. At this stage of the world championship, Ducati's hope is racing on another planet, it has set the bar so high that the gaps between normal riders are widening, the group is lengthening, and the races are becoming predictable processions. Compared to last September's edition, the time over the distance has dropped by 20 seconds: an enormity. Sending him to MotoGP as soon as possible is the only way to bring some flavor back to a world championship. which was already in its first act at Phillip Island. We are in the fourth round and, apart from the two technical problems at Assen due to a faulty crankshaft sensor, Bulega has dominated three. The rest (a hat-trick at Portimao) went to Toprak Razgatlioglu, the only one to hang on. But the BMW, deprived of its prototype chassis, does not seem to be the right weapon to absorb the shocks: its own driver confirms it.
Course-2 identical to the two previous ones
Nicolò's supremacy in Cremona was so overwhelming that the suspense evaporated even when his direct opponent was in contact. The melee lasted four laps, exactly like the day before: when Bulega wanted to, he stepped on the gas and ran away. Besides, the Panigale is fast on the straights, but the hat trick was achieved by overtaking under braking: the former GP rider is not afraid of Toprak, even in the challenge of whoever brakes the latest. The loser had the merit of getting out of it as best as possible: although he had to bow out, a sore subject for someone who, last year, almost always won, he left only 13 points on the field at the end of the games, falling to -34 from the lead. With the two retirements at Assen, to say the least, Bulega had left 37: the combination of the Turk's resilience and the technical errors of the Reds produces the result of a World Championship ranking that is still open at the moment.
Petrucci in place of Iannone
Starting from the second line, instead of the fifth as the day before, Danilo Petrucci was able to build a very different race 2. But with the “independent” Ducati no longer able to enjoy moments of glory, fourth place, 17 seconds behind the leader, is the maximum possible. Danilo, in fact, took the place ofAndrea Iannone, who had achieved the same result in Race 1. It seemed to be the starting point of a good weekend, but for the former MotoGP rider, the epilogue was black, at the end of the points zone.
Robert Locatelli, which had celebrated its first success just two years ago, has also suddenly fallen back into line, thanks to the withdrawal of Bulega: Yamaha's return to form is almost inexplicable.
Next Superbike stop: Most
After Lombardy, the Superbike World Championship will resume in about two weeks in Most, Czech Republic. The fifth of the twelve rounds will also take place on a small site, with very spartan facilities. The track is, however, faster than in Cremona: here too, the Ducati often led the way, even if Toprak Razgatlioglu and the BMW also won. The direct comparison continues.
Results of Race 2 of the WorldSBK Superbike in Cremona:
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Paul Gozzi
Superbike Cremona Race-2
