Back atop the podium for the first time since Most, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) reminded the field and fans alike of his pedigree at a very strong Tissot Aragon Round weekend. The Italian has made a dent in Toprak Razgatlioglu's (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) still considerable 36-point lead, which remains intact despite his pair of wins in Sunday’s Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2.

PROVIDING IN THE CLUTCH:” I needed these two wins this Sunday”

After ‘El Turco’ struck first on Saturday and claimed Race 1, the scene looked grim for Bulega and the rest of the grid’s Ducatis. Not only had Razgatlioglu taken another P1, growing his Riders’ Championship lead to 44 points over ‘Bulegas’ in P2, but he had broken the Italian Manufacturer’s air of invincibility at the Spanish circuit where they had won eight consecutive races. Overcoming the #1 on Sunday, even with the track’s favourable layout, was no small feat, a fact that isn’t lost on Bulega.

On his Sunday successes, Bulega said: “I’m really happy because I needed these two wins this Sunday. It was very difficult because Toprak was very strong and aggressive throughout the whole weekend. I just tried to stay with him, respond to his overtakes, and it was a great pair of battles. I enjoyed it a lot. In the end, we won two races; it was fantastic. Yesterday, I was not very happy because I knew I had the speed, but I wasn't 100% happy with my bike. Thanks to the team because we improved the bike after Saturday.”

MAKING THE MOST OF IT: “ I’m happy because it wasn’t easy, we knew we didn’t have a lot of margin”

While Bulega was able to capitalise on the Ducati’s straight-line speed across the entire weekend, there was a palpable difference in his ability on Sunday compared to what was seen in Race 1. Most notably, Bulega’s improved cornering speed allowed him to be more aggressive in responding to the #1’s overtakes and take the fight to the defending Champion. As far as the Riders’ Championship is concerned, Toprak’s Race 1 win saw him extend his lead to 44 points over Bulega; however, after Bulega’s heroic Sunday performance, he has trimmed that lead down to 36 points - a daunting but not insurmountable task.

On how they made these improvements and his outlook from here to Jerez, Bulega said: “We tried to improve the corner exits; in some places, Toprak was faster. On Sunday, he was still faster, but not as fast as on Saturday. We recovered a little bit there, and I’m happy because it wasn’t easy. We knew we didn’t have a lot of margin, but we were able to get the maximum from what we had. Regarding the Championship, we have to go race by race, trying to win each and see where we end up. Last season in Estoril, I won the Superpole Race, but it was just my first year. This year I feel faster and stronger, so I will try to stay at the front. Jerez is a track I like, it's one of my favourites, so I will try to win at Jerez as well.”

Catch Bulega vs Razgatlioglu next time out at Estoril, starting on Friday, October 10^th! Tune in with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!