WSBK Superbike Most Warm Up: Reset carried out for Nicolò Bulega

Ducati's rookie in the Superbike World Championship World SBK, Nicolò Bulega, had problems in race 1 at Most: in the warm up he revived, and he was in the wake of the usual Toprak Razgatlioglu.

By Paul Gozzi / Corsedimoto.com

During the Superbike aperitif on Saturday in Most, Nicholas Bulega was not up to par. Sixth place for a world championship debutant should be a great result, but this is not the case for the 24-year-old from Romagnol. He managed to win on his debut, at Phillip Island, so the expectations for him immediately became exponential. He is currently the first pursuer of the unstoppable Toprak Razgatlioglu and Ducati's hopes, including for the future, are increasingly focused on him. So it's important to see if he can have a Race 2 that matches his talent, after the tire issues he encountered in Race 1. The warm-up, for what it's worth in terms of duration and temperature of the asphalt, seems to have given guarantees.

Toprak leads the way
Even in this very short session (only ten minutes), Toprak Razgatlioglu put the BMW ahead of everyone, with Nicholas Bulega who followed closely. If the Ducatist solves his endurance issues, he could be the race leader for the final challenge at Most. In addition to fine-tuning the settings, it will also be about conquering the best possible starting position in a Superpole Race which promises to be more hectic than usual. “At first, with the new tire, I was able to drive well, then when the grip dropped, several problems appeared, especially when changing direction”, said Nicolò Bulega after the race 1. We will see if the remedy has had its effect.

Honda still stuck
Super-dealers are at the heart of the controversy in Superbike, because BMW took off in part thanks to the possibility of heavily intervening on the engine and chassis, by adopting non-approved parts. The horse cure has also changed the face of Kawasaki, who is no longer the ugly duckling he seemed to be during the last two years of Jonathan Rhea. The Ninja lacks a Toprak Razgatlioglu in the saddle, but alex lowes constantly fighting for podiums. The Honda HRC still remains in the shadows, despite the great concessions. The official line-up of the Tokyo giant shows no sign of waking up, on any circuit whatsoever. Even here, Iker Lecuona et Xavi Virgo are constantly outside the top 10. It is a crisis that has lasted for years, with increasingly mysterious limits: one wonders how it is possible that the HRC cannot find its way.