Bautista expects ‘aggressive’ Bulega to be ‘fast from the beginning’

While Bautista is still waiting to be crowned WorldSBK champion for the second season in a row following Portimao, Bulega was crowned WorldSSP champion for the first time in his career.

Breaking Yamaha’s dominance atop the Supersport category, Bulega became Ducati’s first intermediate champion after getting the better of Stefano Manzi in Race 1.

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The achievement came on the same day as Ducati clinched the Manufacturers’ championship in WorldSBK, thanks to Bautista winning Race 1 in dominant fashion.

Bautista needs two points from a possible 62 at the season-finale in Jerez to make it a second WorldSBK title for himself, and Ducati’s third since 2011. 

But when looking ahead to what his new teammate will bring, Bautista was full of praise: “I think it’s been an almost perfect season. He won a lot of races, and, for me, he was the strongest rider in the category. 

“Congrats to him because he did really well in the second year with a new bike, with the Ducati. 

“His riding style is aggressive, maybe because he’s a bit big, and you see him riding aggressively. He’s very precise. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, he’s very consistent with his lap times in a race and he worked really well with the team. 

“I know his work method. He’s a very complete rider. I think he has a good level and he’s done a lot of tests with the WorldSBK machine, with the test team. 

“He did really well, he impressed the Ducati guys because he went very fast at many tracks. I expect him to be fast from the beginning. 

“It’s nice to have more riders with talent like him in this category because it makes the Championship, and the level will be higher.”

Dominant in the Supersport category, much like Bautista has been in WorldSBK, Buelga called his title win ‘incredible’.

Following his Race 1 achievement, Bulega added: “I feel incredible. After a lot of hard work with my team and alone at home, in the end I am and we are World Champions. 

“I came here to this paddock and this team with a bad mental situation. I didn’t enjoy riding the bike and I wasn’t at the top of my training. 

“I tried to change what I thought wasn’t the best to try to go faster. In the end, the hard work pays off. It’s incredible. 

“To feel a manufacturer is behind you gives you some pressure, but maybe I needed that kind of pressure. Every time I see my bike, I like it. It’s very emotional to win the first title for Ducati in World Supersport.”