WorldSBK: Relentless Bulega leads the way at Donington Park
With temperatures of over 30°C, the picturesque Donington Park circuit welcomed WorldSBK with glorious sunshine as the weekend got underway.
Championship leader Nicolo Bulega continued his dominant form by topping Friday’s combined times. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati rider set the pace with a lap of 1’25.460 while completing 40 laps of the 4.023km circuit. With hot conditions expected to continue throughout the weekend the stage is set for the UK Round.
Ducati’s strength was evident throughout the opening day. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was the closest challenger to Bulega with a late lap that vaulted him to second place in the standings. The leading Independent rider also impressed with a consistent 15-lap race simulation during the afternoon. Iker Lecuona rounded out the top three after spending much of the day as Bulega’s closest challenger before finishing just over a quarter of a second behind.
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Ducati’s status as the favourites was underlined by the Bologna manufacturer occupying six of the top seven positions. British rider Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Racing), Alvaro Bautista and Lorenzo Baldassarri also featured strongly, while Alex Lowes ensured the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team were represented inside the leading group after completing an encouraging long-run programme during Free Practice 2. Lowes was fourth fastest.
The opening session was interrupted by a crash for Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) at Coppice on his return action following injury. The British rider recovered well to finish the day 16th fastest. Unfortunately, fellow Briton Mackenzie’s weekend came to a premature end following a Turn 12 crash late in FP2. Medical checks confirmed injuries to his left shoulder and lower left leg and ankle and he has been ruled out of the remainder of the event.
P1 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“Friday wasn’t bad but I would still like to improve the bike in some areas. The pace was quite good so I’m happy. We just need to improve in a few places but Donington is a track that I like. I don’t like all of it but, let’s say I like half of the circuit and the other half not so much.”
P2 – Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
“We started this morning with some problems on the bike but in the end we fixed them and it started to work well. This afternoon we made a big step because this morning the feeling wasn’t the best. I was pushing but I was struggling a bit. We made a big step in the afternoon and we did a long run to understand how the tyres will work over the race distance. At the end we fitted another tyre to push again and we made some adjustments to the bike. We made another step so I’m happy. It’s only Friday and we need to keep working and try to improve again tomorrow.”
P3 – Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“Today was quite tricky, honestly. I couldn’t find a way to feel comfortable on the bike. We tried a few things but we didn’t find a solution. The bike was inconsistent and it wasn’t very precise. It was difficult to be consistent with the lap times. In the last sector, with the two slowest corners, I’m one of the strongest riders because I feel good on braking and the corner entry. In the fast sections I struggle a lot so it was difficult to ride consistently.”
Combined Results after FP2
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’25.460s
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.207s
3. Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.250s
4. Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) +0.270s
5. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) +0.528s*
6. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.661s
* Declared unfit following a crash at Turn 12
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