Nicolo Bulega expects rivals to make a step ‘to try and catch me’

Nicolo Bulega was the star of the show as he again showed no signs of slowing down on day-one of the Catalunya WorldSBK round.

Fastest in the test last week, Bulega led the afternoon session ahead of team-mate Alvaro Bautista.  

• Alvaro Bautista bounces back from ‘terrible’ FP1 in Barcelona 

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“It was a good first day because my feeling with the bike was good,” said Bulega. “It was good to make the test here because it was my first time here with the big bike.

“It was nice to already have some information for the weekend. I’m happy with my race pace because it was really good. I think I’m ready for the race.”

Tyre wear is the main concern for every rider and team this weekend, but Bulega seemed to have a handle on how much to push during his FP2 simulation.

Still, the rookie expects to struggle when it comes to both feature races, although his rivals found it even more difficult during FP2’s scorching conditions.

“For sure, the main problem for the whole race will be the tyres,” said Bulega. “We will need to be very smart to understand which one to use.

“I think for acceleration but also in the middle of the corner; in these long corners here in Barcelona we’ll struggle a lot.”

The fastest rider over one lap throughout pre-season and both race weekends thus far, Bulega is a firm favourite for pole position on Saturday.

However, the pace shown by Bulega in race trim has also been very promising for the young Italian.

Asked if he’s the new benchmark for other Ducati riders, Bulega said: “I was fast not only over one lap but also with my race pace. 

“It was a good FP2. I think we have to continue in this way but try to improve something. Our rivals will try something to catch me.”