The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season has officially begun, and with it, Friday, February 20^th brought with it a pair of Free Practice sessions. The day for most teams was dedicated to last-minute preparations for Saturday’s Race 1, following a minimal preseason of testing due to inclement weather. Questions swirled about how Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and his factory Ducati team would fare, given his team’s lack of time with their new 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R platform. Bulega has put that intrigue to bed, however, as Race 1 approaches with Bulega having led each Free Practice session, including all four from testing.

GETTING UP TO RACE PACE: “I like the bike, I can push, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and his adaptation to his new bike has been a pretty sight to his team and his fans, but a troubling omen to his competitors. On Friday in Free Practice 2, Bulega was the fastest through all sectors except for sector two; and in his final stint, all but one of his nine laps were below the 1’29.4s mark, a threshold only Alex Lowes was able to meet, on a single 1’29.354s lap.

On his Friday feelings in Free Practice, Bulega said: “The test was good today, we tested something new on the bike, a new setting, and it looks like it works. This morning, I had a good feeling with the bike. This afternoon, a bit less, due to the track conditions. It was much hotter; when it's hotter, it’s harder to be fast. This morning, we were very fast, however, and we had a very good feeling. In general, I like the bike; I can push, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I don’t feel a big difference on the bike from the test. We have to keep an eye on the wind here because it can affect our performance.”

EYEING UP THE COMPETITION: “The Bimota guys are fast, same with Sam Lowes. There are around 5 guys who can be really fast”

Bulega’s pace hasn’t quite been the otherworldly speed he put on display last year here, where he won all three races by a minimum of 2.3 seconds each. It is true that he has finished atop the timesheets in each session since Monday’s first session of the Official Australia Test. Results like these almost make one forget that this is only the third WorldSBK round that Bulega has competed in in his short but busy career.

On his view of the competition that he will confront tomorrow in Race 1, Bulega said: “It is never easy, there are some guys that are improving and that are fast. For sure, I have to try to improve for tomorrow. The Bimota guys are fast, same with Sam Lowes. There are about five guys who can really run fast. I tried the new tyres today, and they weren’t bad; on the exit, they are good because the bike feels very stable.”

Can Bulega get out to an early lead in the title race? Tune in and find out with the WorldSBK VideoPass!