“The winter season went better than expected.”

Nicolo Bulega was very fast again on Tuesday during the official test day for the World Superbike class at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. The Supersport World Champion has had an impressive debut so far and looks set to be in contention for wins straight away.

It can be said that Niccolò Bulega has been the surprise in the global motorcycle category so far. After bidding farewell to the MotoGP paddock in 2021, he moved up to the World Supersport class in 2022 with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team on the then-new Ducati Panigale V2. The first season was not great, but in 2023 the Italian combination is very strong. The world title was won and Bulega was promoted to the Italian racing team's Superbike team to become the new teammate of two-time WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista.

Drivers typically need some time to get used to the Superbike, a machine with about 100 more horsepower that requires a different riding style than a Supersport machine. This does not seem to be the case with Bulega because during the first test in Jerez, two days after the end of the last race of 2023, he immediately recorded the second lap time.

This was not a coincidence because after the new year he was the fastest during the tests in Jerez. He then also recorded the fastest lap during the test in Portimão, showing that Bulega can handle the Panigale V4 R engine well.

It was no different on Tuesday at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit during the official test day. In addition to one fast lap, the Italian's race pace was also impressive, making him one of the fastest drivers. He is so far ahead of his colleague Bautista, although some skeptics attribute this to the so-called Sandbags: Pretending to be worse than you actually are.

Following the final day of testing before the start of the new season next weekend, we spoke to Bulega during his media conference.

Nicolo Bulega: “I don't know if I was really surprised by my speed here. It's a track I really enjoy driving on, and I think it's one of my favorite tracks. The first 5 or 6 laps this morning, I had to get used to it because you get into the first turn at a completely different speed than in the year Past. I had to get my head around for a while, but after ten laps I was driving well again.

Bulega was at the top of the time sheet a few seconds before the end of the race, but it was Toprak Razcatlioglu who set the fastest lap at the end. However, that did not bother the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati driver.

Nicolo Bulega: “It is normal for Toprak to be very fast. I expected him to be fast. I am happier after today than I was after the tests in Portimão and Jerez because the race pace was very good. I think this test was better than the other two tests.

Today's talk in Australia is about Pirelli tires and how they hold up on the newly emerged Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. Many say that a full 22-lap race is impossible and that the race should be shortened or a mandatory pit stop introduced.

Nicolo Bulega: “I've heard that some people have some problems with the tires, but that doesn't bother me too much. The people at Pirelli told me that I'm one of the best people with tires. I'm satisfied with the tire wear because I didn't feel anything strange. As far as I'm concerned, we can only do A full race without stopping. If we have a flag to flag race it is fine, but I think a full race is better in my case. I saw my tire wear out and Andrea's tire [Iannone] “Looks good.”

Bulega's debut has been impressive so far, but that doesn't mean the Italian thinks he's there yet.

Nicolo Bulega: “Of course there is still a lot I need to improve, and that is always the case. At the moment, I am fast, especially regarding the tires used, but I have to keep improving. For example, I noticed that I still cannot stop the bike in the two corners Fourth and tenth as I want.”

With the fastest time almost everywhere, Bulega had a very good winter season. Confidence is good, but it's still a test and we don't really know where everyone stands until the red lights go out and the first race starts.

Nicolo Bulega: “In general, I think the winter season went better than expected. Last year, I rode a V4 twice and was fast, but not like now. I think I did well this winter, and my engine is good. From the start I had a good feeling in All the tracks we traveled to.

The first free trials for the World Superbike category begin at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on Friday at 11:20 am local time, 01:20 am Dutch time.

Useful links WorldSBK Phillip Island Test – 2024:

Full schedule and results
visual report

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