SBK Balaton FP3: Bulega sets a new lap record, Baldassarri among the frontrunners

Nicolò Bulega takes up the gauntlet thrown down by rival teammate Iker Lecuona and, in the final free practice session, reasserts his dominance by smashing the overall Balaton Park lap record set last year by Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Don’t poke the dominator, because he’ll answer. At Assen he made things crystal clear with a vehement pass in the chicane, right in front of the crowd, springboarding to a thirteenth consecutive win. Here Iker Lecuona is even more dangerous, but Bulega is already on the counterattack. In the morning session he unleashed an impressive 1'38"339, on the second lap of a twelve-lap long run. So not on a qualifying tire, but on the same SCX (soft) he’ll use this afternoon in the long race.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (in the opening photo) began his adventure with Go Eleven by tasting the podium in Australia, and on this small Hungarian track he’s performing at a very high level as well. He has tucked the “customer” Panigale V4 right behind the factory bikes in the combined times of the three practice sessions, and that’s a position within reach for the race, too. Being “the best of the rest” would be a kind of consecration for this rider who had never really found the ideal platform to showcase his talent. He has it at Go Eleven, while the team has landed a less demanding rider than Andrea Iannone, but just as fast—if not faster.

The Turkish rider left Superbike as the reigning World Champion but remains the ever-present benchmark. People keep talking about him, both because Bulega is trying to break the records he left behind and, above all, to gauge the cost of his loss to BMW. Miguel Oliveira, at the end of FP3, clocked a 1'38"986, practically identical to Toprak’s marker at the same point in the ’25 round, namely 1'38"918. BMW’s problem is that it’s not enough, because with the new Panigale V4 R, Ducati has made a decisive leap. Last year, at the end of FP3, Ducati was still ahead with Alex Lowes at 1'38"747. So today Bulega trimmed four tenths off the brand benchmark while improving his own best by 1.3 seconds. Last year, Nicolò didn’t shine here, ending practice only sixth. Now he has decisively changed pace.

Friday afternoon’s tip-off was not without consequences for Danilo, who suffered a heavy contusion to his left wrist. The BMW rider managed to complete ten laps, but even if he makes it to Superpole (11:15) and lines up for Race 2 (15:30), he certainly won’t be at his best. A tough blow, both for him and for BMW itself.