Bulega's Bash Continues in Misano WorldSBK
T
he Misano weekend is
always, and in many ways
even more so this season, truly,
madly, Desmodromically, Italian.
Overdressed and underdressed
people, parties for the many Ital-
ian team's sponsors, and parties
just because it's the weekend
and we're in Misano, June 12-14.
This whole round crackles
with sun-fueled life.
But, once again, the cham-
pionship leader smashed
everyone else's hopes of pure
entertainment on track. Nicolo
Bulega (Aruba.It Racing - Ducati)
romped his way to a new track
best in qualifying on Saturday
and then set a new lap record in
the first race of the weekend in
blazing Italian sunshine.
Amazingly, Alex Lowes joined
Bulega and his rapid but still
winless teammate Iker Lecuona
(Aruba.It Racing - Ducati) on the
race one and Superpole race
front rows, with a late Superpole
lap that put another even more
local manufacturer's machine
(the KB998 bimota is not called
the "Rimini" model for nothing)
in among the many and various
Ducati birds of prey.
Yari Montella (Barni Spark
Racing Team Ducati) was fourth
in Superpole. Behind the top two
factory Ducatis of Bulega (of
course) and a highly frustrated
Iker Lecuona, Montella made his
local team delirious in the heat
as he scored a podium in the
processional race one.
Bimota KB998s, from Axel
Bassani and Alex Lowes, were
fourth and fifth. Behind all these
Italian bikes was… you guessed it,
another Italian bike and rider, this
time the Ducati of Alberto Surra.
Even the top Yamaha rider,
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus
Yamaha) in seventh place, was
Italian and his bike is largely
developed and tuned in Italy.
Multiple podium man in his
rookie WorldSBK season, Miguel
Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad
WorldSBK Team) came back to
race, although he was really not
quite ready after his crash in
Hungary. He still finished eighth,
despite the pain and lack of fit
-
ness. He would finish a remark-
able sixth in the Superpole race,
but he had to pull out of the long
Sunday race.
Further up in the Superpole
race, the familiar Bulega beat
was too fast for even his team
-
mate Lecuona again, as the
WIND
IN THE
P46
Anyone hoping
to halt the Nicolo
Bulega train was
sadly mistaken, as
he (11) swept to
another full house
of wins at Misano.
