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Bulega: "I think we have a good package here for the round in Barcelona…"

Thursday, 6 April 2023 08:04 GMT

Championship leader Nicolo Bulega was working towards the Catalunya Round and believes he and his team are in a good place for round four of 2023

Four riders from the FIM Supersport World Championship took part in the two-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya including Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) as he prepares for the resumption of racing at the Dutch Round. Bulega, who has two wins and three podiums to his name so far in 2023, was working towards having a good feeling on his Panigale V2 after a difficult 2022 Catalunya Round.

In the 2022 Catalunya Round, Bulega recorded a retirement in Race 1 and only 14th place in Race 2 as he scored only two points across the entire weekend, denting his hopes of a top-three Championship finish. The test in 2023, which took place around a month before the 2023 Catalunya Round, gave Bulega and Ducati a chance to work on his feeling with the bike as he looks to consolidate his position at the top of the standings.

Bulega’s best lap during the test was a 1’44.638s which came on Day 2 of the test. On Day 1, he completed 62 laps and added another 62 to his name on Day 2 as he worked on his bike. His best lap time during the 2022 Catalunya Round came in the Tissot Superpole session when he recorded a 1’45.265s although track conditions would not be the same given the round took place in September and the test in March.

Looking back on his test, Bulega said: “I have a good feeling. I think we have a good package here for the round in Barcelona. I think we improved a lot from last year because last year I didn’t have a good feeling here. From Day 1, we started with a different setup and I liked it more. We didn’t have new parts, just trying something different on the setup. It worked well. It was good. We just want to stay focused and try to be fast every race. In the end, we will see how many points we will have.”

Bulega’s 2023 campaign started in perfect style as he took two wins from two at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia, putting him on top of the Championship standings. From there, he took fifth in Race 1 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit before returning to the rostrum with third in Race 2. It means he sits 18 points clear of Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in the standings.

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