Nicolo Bulega achieves “good” pace at Aragon World Superbike despite practice problems

Despite being a WorldSBK rookie and with only three wins to his name in the class, Nicolo Bulega arrives in Aragon with hopes of winning the title in a month’s time.

To achieve that objective, Bulega will have to score 14 points more than Toprak Razgatlioglu over the next four rounds — 12 races — including this weekend in Aragon, which began with a technical problem for the Italian.

“I feel good,” Bulega told WorldSBK.com following Friday practice at Aragon, “especially this afternoon, because this morning the first lap of FP1 I had a small problem, then they changed a piece and it was all good, but I lose some time this morning in FP1.

“Then, FP2 we improve a lot my feeling with the bike. My guys did a good job, and from FP1 to FP2 we improve a lot.

“My race pace was not the fastest but it was good, I think top-three pace, so good. We have to improve for tomorrow.”

Conditions on-track had not been easy, Bulega explained, because of strong winds around the Aragon circuit.

“[There was] a lot of wind,” he said. “Already this morning there was [wind], but this afternoon more, especially in the long straight after the last chicane I feel [the wind] a lot in my side, so in the straight I was not completely straight. But it was the same for everybody.”

If Bulega feels he has top-three potential according to his pace, he is also sure about who he will be fighting for those top-three positions with.

“Alvaro [Bautista] here, all his life, was very fast, this year he seems fast also,” Bulega said.

“Toprak [Razgatlioglu] today I think he didn’t change the tyre, so tomorrow will be much faster than this afternoon.”

“I’m quite good. So I think it can be a good race.”