Portimao Race 1: Nicolò Bulega dominant—Superbike, challengers wanted

Not even an overtake, not even a jolt: Nicolò Bulega made short work of the first Superbike showdown on Portimão’s rollercoaster. All as expected in this World Championship, which is only at the second of twelve rounds but already risks being over. With no hound like Toprak Razgatlioglu around, Ducati is crushing the competition. All as widely predicted.

Bulega rocketed from pole and never looked back: precise, blisteringly fast, ruthless—the classic Nicolò-style win. His new teammate hadn’t shown much on his Australia debut; here he upped the level, but it’s still not enough to put salt on the vice-champion’s tail. Ducati could have monopolized the podium again, but a very fired-up Yari Montella went down on lap five, when he was sandwiched between the two factory Ducatis.

This Superbike season needs the two new BMW riders to quickly find a way to close in on the Ducatis. In Australia it was (pretty much) pitch black; here on home soil Miguel Oliveira climbed to the third step of the podium, five seconds adrift over race distance. At Phillip Island there was the excuse that the undulating circuit has never favored the German brand, not even with the phenomenal Toprak. Here, though, the Turk used to throw his weight around, while Oliveira in the Algarve also tamed MotoGP rivals, bagging the first of his five premier-class wins in 2020. So interpreting this podium isn’t easy: is it a first ray of sunshine or a bit underwhelming? We’ll find out in time—maybe starting with the two final scraps here in Portugal.

The Ducati man is on an eight-race winning streak: the last four of last season, strung together in a desperate chase of leader Toprak Razgatlioglu, and another four to kick off this new campaign. This was win number 24 in 76 races: he has finished a whopping 60 on the podium! Nicolò is still young (26) but his trophy cabinet is getting richer and richer. In Australia he became the most successful Italian rider in Superbike history, ahead of legends Max Biaggi and Marco Melandri. Without Toprak Razgatlioglu, the tally will spin ever faster.

Twelve months ago here in Portimão, Nicolò Bulega was pipped three times in a sprint by the Turk, losing by less than two seconds in total. He lost by a whisker every time, and without that rival the hat-trick is on the table again, just as it was in Australia. The next appointments are at 12:00 CET with the Superpole Race (10 laps) and Race 2 (20 laps) at 16:30 (CET) on Sunday, March 29. Wanted: challengers…