Nicolo Bulega’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) impressive start to life in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship continued as he took P2 in the Official Test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit as he became the first rider ever to lap in the 1’28s bracket before his time was overhauled. His fastest time was set in Free Practice 2, when he set a 1’28.585s to extend his lead at the top and it looked like it was good enough for P1, until Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) put in a last-gasp 1’28.551s to demote the #11 into second.

Bulega had topped three of the previous four test days in 2024, going fastest on both days at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto before topping the first day at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve. Just a few weeks on from that, and ‘Bulegas’ continued his fine form with second spot on the final test day before racing begins, putting him in a positive mode for the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round and 2024 as a whole.

Although his day was strong overall, it was disrupted by a crash at Turn 4, the right-hand hairpin known as Miller Corner, although he was able to bring his bike back to the pits. It put a small blot on an otherwise perfect copybook having been always fighting at the top of the times throughout every 2024 test.

Reviewing his test day, Bulega said: “I’m happy with this test because, from this morning, during the day, I improved my feeling with the bike, especially with used tyres. In the end, I didn’t do a long run but some laps together and I had a good pace. This is the most important thing at this test. In the last test I had at Portimao, I was very fast with new tyres, but I had to work a little bit on used tyres. I’m very happy here because I improved this a lot.”

With such a positive start to his time as a factory Ducati rider, Bulega also outlined his goals for 2024 as he looks to continue his form from the 2023 WorldSSP season, where he claimed the title in stunning fashion. With confidence high for the #11 heading into a rookie season, where he will partner double WorldSBK Champion Alvaro Bautista, Bulega spoke about what he expects from this season.

Playing down expectations for the season-opener, Bulega said: “I don’t have goals for this weekend, just to try to do my best and I will see what I can do. I hope for a podium but it’s not my target.”

A NEW ERA BEGINS: can Bulega impress in his rookie season? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!