Nicolo Bulega: ‘Maybe I still don’t realise, I was smiling a lot’

The opening WorldSBK round of the year saw Nicolo Bu💦lega become the first-ever WorldSSP champion to win on his premier class debut.

Nicolo Bulega, Race 1, Australian WorldSBK, 24 February
Nicolo Bulega, Race 1, Australian WorldSBK, 24 February

Following a dominant showing in Superpole, Nicolo Bulega delivered another clutch performance to take victory in Race 1 of the WorldSBK season-opener at Phillip Island.

Bulega’s start was the only ꦗhiccup as he went from first to fifth during the early stages, however, an unrivalled turn of spe🦩ed prior to the pit stop sequence saw him take the lead. 

Fellow WorldSBK rookie Andrea Iannone was ꦐthe only rider capable of following Buleg🅺a initially.

But when the pit stops🃏 took place, Bulega came out with a sizable lead which he controlled until the end of 𓃲the race.

Bulega was unabl⛦e to deliver the same type of result during either Sunday race, however, his stunning achievement is one that won’t go unnoticed by his rivals.

A clear title contender despiteꦉ being a rookie, Bulega admitted post-race he was still in shock as to what he achieved.

“Maybe I still don’t realise but what can I say? It’s incredible,” said Bulega. “To win the first race and also take the lap record and pole position, 💖it’s like last year when I was in WorldSSP but now, it’s in WorldSBK.

“I can’t say a lot because I still don’t realise, it’s a good sensation. In the last two laps, I was smiling a lot under my helmet when I saw my pit board with 3.5s adv🌳antage.

“You can dream as much as you want but when yo⛎u🍒 have to do it, it’s different.

“It’s a d🌳ream come true and I’m happy to win the firꦿst race as I feel less pressure.”

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