RiderTua,com – From 2nd position, Nicolo Bulega had a bad start and lost several positions. However, within a few laps the Aruba.It Ducati team rider managed to get back up and take over as race leader from Sam Lowes, after the Marc DVS Ducati rider crashed at turn 10 on the fifth lap. Since then, Bulega has even been able to build a lead of more than 4 seconds. In the end, this was not enough to secure victory as Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) managed to get ahead of Bulega in the final seconds of the first race in Catalunya. And his teammate Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) finished in 3rd place.
Bulega’s tactic was to build a lead that would last until the end when the tires ran out. However, Razgatlioglu consistently ran faster times towards the end. At the start of the penultimate lap (18 of 20 laps), Toprak was still 2 seconds behind the Italian rider. Just moments before the finish line, the Turkish rider overtook him because Bulega’s rear tire ran out.
Nicolo Bulega : When Toprak Overtook Me I Was Helpless
Nicolo Bulega revealed that the front tires lasted a long time but the rear tires ran out. It was clear he wasn’t happy as he entered the final lap as the race leader. “I had to push in the first two or three laps because I was faster than the rider in front of me. Not long after, I found myself in the perfect situation. From then on I was in full control until five laps before the end of the race,” explained Bulega.
Was Bulega aware that Toprak was getting closer to him in the final third of the race? “I didn’t know if it was him. All I saw on the pitboard was someone approaching me. I tried to do something, but nothing worked. Then at the start of the last lap I heard Toprak from behind and when he overtook me, I was helpless. I couldn’t fight, but I learned a lot from this,” answered Bulega.
The 24-year-old rider revealed that it was his first long race where he had to manage the tires. Bulega was leading the standings at Phillip Island and things were going well for him until the final lap, but not after that. “If the race had been one lap shorter, my tactics would have worked,” he stressed.
Will Bulega change his strategy in the second race? “First we have to see what the temperature of the asphalt is. If it stays like it is now, there won’t be any problems. If the weather is colder, everything will change if you use the same tires,” answered the teammate of two-time consecutive Superbike World Champion Alvaro Bautista.
Sprint race on Sunday, where the super-soft SCQ rear tire from Pirelli can be used. “Qualifying tires are one possibility. Alvaro, (Andrea) Iannone and (Danilo) Petrucci simulated sprint distances with tires. I will try it if the temperature is not too high,” said Bulega.
Even though he failed to win in the last seconds, Bulega was happy because he managed to lead the standings. “We have to end the championship now,” he said spontaneously, making several people around him laugh. “This is only the second weekend of racing and the championship still has a long way to go. There are many ‘big names’ taking part,” concluded Bulega.
