Nicolo Bulega, fastest in Italian WorldSBK FP2: “My riding style doesn’t suit Cremona”

Despite topping both practice sessions at the Italian WorldSBK, Nicolo Bulega says he doesn’t like the layout at Cremona Circuit and that it “doesn’t suit” his riding style.

The Italian was almost 0.4 seconds clear of the field in FP1, and despite not improving on his morning time in FP2 was 0.215 seconds clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu in FP2.

He was also able to set a strong and consistent pace in the mid-1:29s during FP2, making him the stand-out rider on Friday.

It marked a strong return to action for the championship leader after missing out on at least two podium finishes due to technical issues on Sunday in Assen three weeks ago.

“I have a strong mentality from Assen because I was very fast there,” Bulega said after World Superbike practice in Cremona, a circuit that the Italian says doesn’t suit his riding style.

“I wanted to bring that positive feeling here to Cremona.

“I don't really like this track because my riding style doesn’t suit it very well.

“I will always try to do my best and work well with the mechanics for the best result.”

Bulega was 0.215 seconds clear of his main title rival, Toprak Razgatlioglu, in FP2 on Friday, but was nonetheless wary of the reigning champion’s potential.

“Toprak [Razgatlioglu] is always very strong and I think this type of track suits his riding style really well,” Bulega said.

“He’ll be fast. I also expect other riders to be competitive.

“Today, I felt quite good. My tyre consumption was good and my pace was strong.

“We need to keep improving because everyone will take a step forward tomorrow so we have to improve as well. We’ll see what happens.”