SBK Most Practice 2: Even Nicolò Bulega makes a mistake—look who’s in front

Well, even Nicolò Bulega can make a mistake. The Superbike dominator slid off at low speed at turn 1 of the Most circuit, just fifteen minutes into the second free practice session of the fifth World Championship round.

No harm to the rider, so much so that he got back on track and brought the Ducati back to the pits. But repairs weren’t possible in the remaining twenty minutes. Taking advantage of the first setback of this season was a brilliant Garrett Gerloff, who brought a smile to Kawasaki. The day had started with a slide in the very same spot that cost Bulega FP2: the day’s fortunes flipped at the same point.

The potential of the Texan and the Ninja will obviously need to be reassessed in the sessions leading us to race 1. Garrett Gerloff, however, is an excellent rider, better than his up-and-down results might suggest. With the only Kawasaki on track, he treated himself to a fine satisfaction; there will be time for the rest. The slide cost Bulega the traditional race-distance simulation, and on Saturday there will be just twenty minutes of FP3 to make up the lost laps. Nicolò had calmly topped the morning session, so Ducati’s potential at Most is sky-high as well. Despite the further reduction of fuel flow (minus 0.5 liters/hour) set by the technical stewards in an attempt to rebalance the performance of the five brands on track.

Friday only counts so much, but for Manuel Puccetti and his entire team it’s a date to circle on the calendar. We’re talking about the Emilia-based manager who had the merit of discovering and nurturing the talent of Toprak Razgatlioglu, who made his Superbike debut with Kawasaki in 2018–19. Garrett Gerloff was another bet; now that the ice is broken, who knows how the situation might evolve. Meanwhile, Puccetti himself is preparing to double down in 2027: seeing two Kawasakis on the grid would be great and also a sign of vitality for the Superbike World Championship.

Bulega’s misstep was a golden opportunity for Iker Lecuona, but here in Most Ducati’s wingman slipped a bit back into line, ending the day in fourth place, behind even Sam Lowes with the Panigale fielded by Marc VDS. It was also a Friday full of promise for Danilo Petrucci, who seems back to form after the Balaton injury. Sixth fastest is a great platform to plan an all-out weekend on a track like Most, where Petrux has stood on the podium six times with Ducati. The BMW rider finished ahead of Axel Bassani: the Bimota is once again performing at a high level, with Alex Lowes also in fifth. The Italian quartet is rounded out by Yari Montella and Lorenzo Baldassarri, both well inside the top ten. Poor day for Alvaro Bautista: only 13th. It’ll be a trial by fire on Saturday for the old lion.

UPDATING