The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s French Round is off and running at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Raring to go after the summer break, the WorldSBK field got their setups dialled in on Friday across their pair of Free Practice sessions. Factory Ducati rider Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) had a dream start for what may be a make-or-break round for his Riders’ Championship hopes, as his 1’35.428s time broke Garrett Gerloff's (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) 2023 record, setting a new track record.

BULEGA: “We improved a lot from this morning, but it’s still not enough, especially with the used tyres”

Despite his blistering pace, Bulega knows this track is one of his arch-rival’s strongest. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was outpaced on Friday, but clearly, ‘Bulegas’ is not satisfied. The Italian phenom aims to enhance his Ducati Panigale V4 R’s grip to remain competitive throughout a full-length race. In part, this caution may come from experience, as this season on several occasions, he launches off the line to claim the holeshot; however, over the span of the race, Razgatlioglu hunts him down and takes P1 for himself.

On his Friday and what he would like to improve, Bulega said: “I feel quite good, honestly, we improved a lot from this morning, but it’s still not enough, especially with the used tyres. I did good lap times with new tyres, but I’d like to improve in some areas, especially my time with used tyres. I feel that we can improve the rear grip; sometimes I have a lot of movement. It’s not easy to manage our bike in some areas. I think if we can improve that, we can make a step.”

IN HOSTILE TERRITORY: “I know Toprak is very strong here; last year, he was fast, and he was fast again today”

Pulling off an upset at Razgatlioglu’s beloved Magny-Cours may be crucial to his hopeful Riders’ Championship comeback, as the upcoming Estoril and Aragon Rounds are more evenly matched for the two. Bulega has made statement comebacks before, as seen at Most Race 2, where the #11 stunned ‘El Turco’ and took a race win from him to prevent a hat-trick and win back a critical five points. Currently 26 points behind the defending Champion with four rounds left, Bulega will need to start cutting away at his rival’s lead sooner rather than later.

On his impending battle with Razgatlioglu this weekend, Bulega said: “It’s always important to try to beat your rivals. I will try to do my best, like always. I know Toprak is very strong here; last year, he was fast, and he was fast again today. I will try to improve and be strong for the rest of the weekend. I think it will be a bit warmer tomorrow, but nothing crazy, 27 or 28 degrees. It will be hotter, but nothing crazy, so I think everyone will be able to manage pretty well.”

Catch Bulega in action on Saturday at 11:00 (Local time UTC +2) for their Tissot Superpole session! Tune in live or watch it on-demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!