SBK Aragon Superpole Race: Bulega hands them the tyre advantage, then shows no mercy

License-shredding stuff: Nicolò Bulega beats his Superbike rivals even while giving everyone a tire advantage. The 21st win in a row was the most incredible of all. Here’s why.

In the Superpole Race at Motorland Aragon the entire grid chose the SCX tire, the qualifying-style option. The dominator instead played it safe, opting for the SC0, the same solution used on Saturday for the 18 laps of the long race. He did a bit like those heroic-era cyclists who stopped to eat cherries during Giro d’Italia stages and still won anyway. In the first laps Nicolò was understandably cautious, with Lecuona, Surra and even Sam Lowes stirring things up. But the verdict was a foregone conclusion. When the SCX started showing signs of wear, Bulega dived up the inside of his usual predetermined victim and cruised to an undisturbed win. Iker Lecuona finishes second for the 14th time in a row: it’s maddening to have someone like Nicolò around.

The Sprint also photocopied the finish of the previous showdown, with Sam Lowes completing the podium. The Brit makes a mess of qualifying (three spills in two days!) but finds stability when it counts. The big surprise of this weekend is Alberto Surra: 22 years old, first World Championship season. In Race 1 he was demoted to last place for an FP1 infraction; this time he started from the third slot earned with a stunning qualifying, and everything was better and easier. In the opening laps Surra roared dangerously on Lecuona’s tail, then had to make room for Bulega and Lowes, who have far more experience than he does. Fourth place is still fantastic for a kid like him. “It’ll take two years to get on the podium,” repeats Motocorsa boss Lorenzo Mauri. Alberto is trying to beat the clock.

Even here we count seven Ducatis in the top nine, an overpowering dominance that has caught the competition off guard. Yamaha and Honda are going backward instead of improving, and BMW is without riders with Oliveira and Petrucci sidelined by injury. Only Bimota is saved, with Alex Lowes fifth ahead of teammate Axel Bassani, close to the Ducati pace in a slow-run race. Unfortunately, Ducati’s party missed Lorenzo Baldassarri, who fell while hovering near the podium places. Now Bulega can set the table for Race 2, which will start at 3:30 p.m.

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