SBK test, Bulega starts strong and shrugs off the pressure: "It's too soon to talk

Bulega leads on the first day of Superbike testing in Australia: the 2024-2025 runner-up sends a strong message to his rivals.

“They’re just tests, it’s the races that matter,” many repeat in these situations, but topping the timesheets is still positive. Nicolò Bulega, with a 1'29"345, quickly took first place on the Day 1 of SBK testing at Phillip Island. A total of 72 laps for the Aruba Ducati rider, who found favorable conditions in Australia to turn laps and push forward the development of the new Panigale V4 R. The previous 2026 tests at Jerez and Portimão had allowed him to complete few laps, never on a fully dry track. Today was very important and confirmed that the potential is high.

Bulega said he was satisfied with how things went today at Phillip Island; he really needed to spend a long time on track: “Not a bad way to start. I had a good feeling right from the beginning. It’s important to start like this, especially when you have a new bike. During the winter we didn’t test anything, because the weather was really bad; today was the first real test day of 2026. It was important to ride a lot, I did many laps and I’m happy, we did a great job. A good start.”

In the 2025 Superbike test in Australia he was almost six tenths faster than today; the rider from Emilia explained why: “The main reason is that the weather during the winter was better last year. Also, we arrived at Phillip Island with a few days of testing already completed, we didn’t have to start from zero. Now we also have a new bike to discover. Today it was really hot; in 2025 it was a bit cooler. There are reasons to be six tenths slower.”

Without going too far into detail, Bulegas outlined one aspect the Aruba Ducati team will work on during the second and final day of SBK testing at Phillip Island: “I’m quite happy with the setup, but not in every area, so we need to try to improve in some parts of the circuit. It’s normal, being the first test day of 2026. We need to try to improve the bike and see if we can also be fast on the race weekend.”

It’s inevitable to label him the favorite for next weekend, when Australia will host the first round of the 2026 Superbike season: “I don’t know,” Bulega replies. “Surely, I can win, because this is my favorite track and last year I won all three races. Also, I won here in my Superbike debut race. I have good feelings at this track; today we started well and the goal will be to win. But it’s too early to talk.” Feeling like the winner of the races and the world title already would be a big mistake; the rider from Emilia knows he must manage the pressure of being the favorite for the 2026 season—a status that means little: what counts is winning on track.