THE MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is well and truly back into the swing of things, with Round 4 from Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” now firmly in the books. It was a whitewash weekend for the new Championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), who claimed a clean sweep of all three races. However, one man who matched the Turk in consistency was Italian native Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). The Ducati rider left the Adriatic Coast on Sunday with all silver medals, finishing P2 in all the action at Round 4.
“TOPRAK WAS ON ANOTHER LEVEL THIS WEEKEND”: Bulega happy with three P2s
Discussing his impressive consistency across the weekend, Bulega conceded that, whilst winning is always the goal, there was simply nothing he could do to deal with the Bavarian’s ace card, who put on clinic after clinic in each session. Speaking following the conclusion of his home round, Bulega had this to say: “Yes, I feel very good. Toprak was on another level this weekend. I tried passing him during the races, but this weekend it was very difficult to stay with him, especially because I had some problems with the front. I feel good with new tyres, but when I started to feel the drop, I decided that 20 points was better than nothing. To win was a dream, but three podiums is not bad.”
“NOT ONE SPECIFIC PART…SMALL STEPS EVERYWHERE”: Nicolo notes need for improvement
Bulega was also asked if there was a specific part of the Misano track where he lost out most to Toprak, as well as whether there were certain issues with the bike. The man occupying P2 in the Championship said this: “No, not one specific part, but just small steps everywhere. We have to work, because BMW have improved a lot and Toprak is a great champion.” Bulega also discussed what it meant to be the top Ducati in the Championship, having now overtaken teammate and reigning World Champion Bautista. Bulega said that: “When you are the first rider with your brand, it’s always special, because it means that I am using 100% of the bike, which I am happy about. I didn’t expect to be so fast at Misano in the first year.”
“I REALLY LIKE DONINGTON; I HAVE GREAT MEMORIES” – Bulega looks forward to UK Round
Lastly, Bulega was asked for his thoughts heading towards the UK round at Donington Park next month. Nicolo was quite optimistic and positive when reflecting upon the Midlands circuit. The Italian rider had this to say: “Yes, I really like Donington; it’s a great circuit and I have good memories of it from last year. This year will be more difficult for sure. The same way we prepared for these first four races is the way I will prepare for Donington”
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Source: WorldSBK.com