Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) looked as though it was taking longer than usual to adapt to the Hungarian Round at Balaton Park Circuit’s unique layout.  The Italian title contender clocked in eighth place in the combined timesheets from Friday’s FP1 and FP2. Just over a second off of Sam Lowes's net P1 time on Friday, Bulega has his work cut out for him as the Riders’ Championship duel with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) hangs in the balance.

NEW CIRCUIT BLUES: “We struggled a little bit today, especially with the braking, and this layout has a lot of hard braking”

The #11 finished Friday’s FP1 in P5, the fourth in a five-rider Ducati pack behind title rival Razgatlioglu. The #1’s fastest lap was 0.825s faster than Bulega’s a fact the Italian credits at least in part to an issue he felt with the brakes on his Ducati V4 R. FP2 saw Bulega seem to struggle even more, he finished in P9  behind rookie and fellow Ducati rider Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) who pipped the Italian by a mere 0.003s.

On his Friday times, Bulega was frank, yet hopeful in his message about the weekend’s potential. Bulega said: “Honestly, today I didn’t have a very good feeling with my bike; we struggled a little bit today, especially with the braking. This layout has a lot of hard braking, so we need to adjust our settings for Saturday and try something different. I think if we improve the braking, we will improve the entire bike, so fixing that will be tomorrow’s main goal.”

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING: “To me, it will be important to start in front, trying to arrive at the first corner in the first two or three riders”

This weekend at Balaton has large overtures for the Championship picture from here on out. With Toprak having seized the title lead, and the heavy-braking layout of the circuit playing into the #1’s strengths, ‘Bulegas’ has an interesting opportunity to cut the defending Champion’s momentum and keep ‘El Turco’ within striking distance. Adding another factor to the equation, initial weather reports indicate rain is in the forecast for Saturday, complicating an already challenging task for riders.

Speaking on his Saturday hopes, Bulega said: “I hope that at least FP3 will be dry, I would like to understand if we have improved the bike or not. In wet conditions, in general, I have a good feeling. Even if it is wet, I am ready. Being in the front two rows is important. Here at Balaton, the first corner is very slow, and not so far from the starting line. To me, it will be important to start in front, releasing the clutch well and trying to arrive at the first corner in the first two or three riders.”

Catch the Race 1 duel between Bulega and Razgatlioglu on Saturday at 14:00 local time! (UTC +2) WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 65% off!