Rookie Nicolo Bulega received FIM Superbike World Championship Race One – his career-first WorldSBK race – Saturday at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, in Australia. Bulega began from pole place, made his necessary mid-race pit cease, and rode his Aruba.it Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R to a 2.28-second margin of victory within the 20-lap race.
Andrea Locatelli was the runner-up on his Pata Yamaha by Prometeon YZF-R1 and simply held off Andrea Iannone, who rode his Crew Go Eleven Ducati to 3rd in his first WorldSBK race and his first skilled bike highway race of any variety in 4 years.
American Garrett Gerloff went from 14th on the grid to ninth on the end on his Bonovo Motion BMW.
Extra, from a press launch issued by Dorna:
Rookie sensation: Nicolo Bulega makes historical past with maiden win
Nicolo Bulega achieved a exceptional feat by successful Race 1 at Phillip Island on his WorldSBK debut, changing into the primary rider to perform this since Alvaro Bautista in 2019.
After 4 years away from racing, Andrea Iannone made a surprising return, main the race and in the end securing a podium end.
Regardless of initially ending in fourth place, Toprak Razgatlioglu acquired a penalty for a Pit Intervention Time infringement, which dropped him to fifth.
WorldSBK Race 1 at Phillip Island supplied thrilling motion and historic moments with intense battles among the many main riders and strategic maneuvers in the course of the pit cease section between Laps 9 and 11.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) stole the present by claiming victory on his WorldSBK debut, attaining a exceptional feat as the primary WorldSSP Reigning Champion to win on his first SBK race, marking an unprecedented accomplishment within the championship’s historical past.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) displayed spectacular tempo and technique to assert second place. Making a sensational return to racing, Andrea Iannone (Crew GoEleven) secured third place after main within the early phases of the race. Locatelli and Iannone accomplished an all-Italian podium sweep, echoing a milestone final achieved in 1993.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Crew WorldSBK) demonstrated sturdy competitiveness, ending in fourth place, adopted intently by Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK), who initially crossed the road in fourth however was demoted to fifth.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) struggled to seek out his rhythm, in the end ending in fifteenth place after a crash, whereas Jonathan Rea’s (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) difficulties continued as he crossed the road outdoors the factors in seventeenth place. Australian Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), encountered misfortune in the course of the race, as a collision with one other rider led to an early retirement.
Extra on worldsbk.com
P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
“Perhaps it’s the perfect day of my life! It’s tough to already imagine it however it’s one thing unimaginable; I used to be dreaming about this for a lot of months however now it’s actuality. I took pole place; I received my first race and acquired the lap report. It’s one thing particular that I’ll always remember.
I began to cry somewhat bit after which, there have been good feelings as I noticed all my guys on the end line and all my guys with an enormous, unimaginable smile. It was so good for me. It’s unimaginable as a result of this staff is like my second household, and so they all the time believed in me. Once I got here right here from Moto2™, I used to be in a foul second, however they saved believing. That is my third yr with them, and we began in an excellent means. I’ll attempt to proceed giving them plenty of smiles. I’m prepared for my first Tissot Superpole Race and I’ll attempt to do my finest.”
