Nicolo Bulega: Toprak “is a great champion, on another level” at Misano

Nicolo Bulega beat WorldSBK team-mate Alvaro Bautista in all three races at Misano, in what was one of his best weekend’s in the class so far.

Bulega was the only rider able to pose a threat to Toprak Razgatlioglu, who himself produced another sensational round for BMW, winning all three races.

Bulega has moved ahead of Bautista in the championship by three points, and while winning races is his main aim, accepting second was a decision which could pay dividends later in the season.

Speaking after Race 2 at Misano, Bulega said: “I feel very good. Toprak was on another level this weekend. I tried passing him during the races, but this weekend it was very difficult to stay with him, especially because I had some problems with the front.

I feel good with new tyres, but when I started to feel the drop, I decided that 20 points was better than nothing. To win was a dream, but three podiums is not bad.”

Where Razgatlioglu is making the difference aboard the M 1000 RR, Bulega said admitted it’s in several areas.

“No, not one specific part, but just small steps everywhere. We have to work, because BMW have improved a lot and Toprak is a great champion.”

Realising the importance of overhauling Bautista and becoming the top Ducati in the standings behind Razgatlioglu, Bulega has cemented himself as a title contender heading into the middle part of the campaign.

Bulega talked about being Ducati’s top rider, saying:  “When you are the first rider with your brand, it’s always special, because it means that I am using 100% of the bike, which I am happy about. I didn’t expect to be so fast at Misano in the first year.”