SBK Donington: Bulega's eighth consecutive Superpole—order restored

So far we’d been kidding around: when it matters, Nicolò Bulega tucks in behind the screen and puts things back in order in this increasingly… single-rider Superbike. On Donington’s ups and downs he snags his eighth Superpole in as many rounds: phenomenal.

Needless to say, Bulega shaved the previous benchmark, as has happened almost every time in this record-breaking season. His 1'24"410 erases the 1'24"629 that Toprak Razgatlioglu set two years ago with BMW. Worth noting that Iker Lecuona and Yari Montella also dipped under that mark and will line up alongside the rider to beat on the front row for the first two battles on British soil.

This time there are four Ducatis monopolizing the scene, with Sam Lowes blistering fast in the morning but a bit held back on the flying lap. Breaking up the one-make sequence is Xavi Vierge’s Yamaha, clocking fifth and giving a bit of a boost to the men in blue after recent underwhelming outings and a black Friday. However, with the same YZF-R1, Andrea Locatelli’s rough patch continues: only fourteenth.

In the HRC camp the only positive note comes from the luxury tester, Jonathan Rea, who set the tenth time. Outside the top 15 are Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon: perhaps the CBR-RR isn’t as bad as it looks; the real issue is the lack of a top rider. BMW stays in the shadows with Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci mid-pack. The Portuguese rider also slipped at Goddards, then got the black flag for not heading straight into the pits.

The British weekend is already over for Alberto Surra, sidelined by a functional issue with his right shoulder that emerged after the third free practice session in the morning. On that occasion the Ducati MotoCorsa rider had set the ninth time; nothing suggested he might suffer a physical problem of this magnitude, having had no crash-related trauma. Since it’s a chronic issue, it’s odd that Alberto Surra didn’t rest the previous weekend, when he instead contested the ceremonial Race of Champions at Ducati’s WDW in Misano.

The first Donington showdown will start at 4:30 p.m. Italian time, an unusual slot dictated by the UK time zone and the delay needed to avoid overlapping with the MotoGP Sprint at the Sachsenring. Recall that last year on this track Toprak Razgatlioglu completed a stunning treble, winning everything with the BMW that then seemed unbeatable. Nicolò Bulega has never won in Superbike here. Tarran Mackenzie will not start, seriously injured during Practice 2 on Friday afternoon. Here are his conditions.

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