Bulega Batters Them at
Phillip Island WorldSBK Test
O
n February 16-17, the now
traditional WorldSBK pre-
season tests got underway
at Phillip Island. As expected,
Nicolo Bulega and his official
Aruba.it Ducati were fastest, and
consistently so. The hot pre-
season championship favorite
ended up leading second-placed
Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Rac-
ing Team Ducati) by a clear but
ominous 0.666 of a second.
Bulega's best time was a
1:28.630, which he set in the
last of four long sessions for the
WorldSBK riders, with WorldSSP
riders having their own slightly
shorter session in between.
Third in the combined times
was, of course, another Ducati
rider, Lorenzo Baldassarri. But
not even Baldassarri himself, on
his all-new GoEleven V4 R, ex-
pected him to be so far up after
two dry days of track time—the
only dry track time many teams
and riders had enjoyed in the
weather-cursed winter tests in
Europe.
All of the top three set their
best lap times in the fourth and
final track outing, with fourth-
placed Barni Spark Racing Team
rider, Yari Montella, setting his
time in session three on Tuesday
morning.
Two bimotas gave the Ducati
riders the best run for their
money, with Axel Bassani fifth
fastest and Alex Lowes sixth.
New boy Miguel Oliveira,
fitting right in, took his factory
BMW to the seventh-best time
over the two days, just like
Montella, who was fastest in the
Tuesday morning session.
Iker Lecuona, Bulega's new
Ducati teammate, was eighth,
while new official Yamaha rider
Xavi Vierge was ninth overall.
American Garrett Gerloff
WIND
IN THE
P52
Nicolo Bulega was
flying at Phillip
Island. His pace was
ominous for the rest
of the field.
