Nicolo Bulega demands tweaks “to areas I don’t like” to battle Toprak Razgatlioglu

Nicolo Bulega wants changes to parts of his Ducati before going to battle with Toprak Razgatlioglu again.

Bulega trails Toprak Razgatlioglu in the World Superbike Championship by 26 points ahead of the ninth round at Magny-Cours.

The circuit in France is traditionally a place which Razgatlioglu enjoys.

The Aruba.it Ducati duo were testing at Aragon this week to improve their packages for Magny-Cours - and to look ahead to 2026.

“This test was an important one because we came to understand some things I like and don’t like about our setup,” Nicolo Bulega said.

“Finding out more about both of these things was important. My feeling is not 100%, so we have to understand how we can improve the areas I don’t like about my bike.

“It was important to come to understand the setup better before Magny-Cours.”

Bulega topped the timesheets on Day 1 at Aragon. He was third-fastest on Day 2 when Razgatlioglu beat his previous time by half-a-second.

Alvaro Bautista tested 2026 Ducati

Bautista knows he will be leaving the Aruba.it Ducati team next season, after signing for Barni Ducati.

Honda’s Iker Lecuona will be coming in to replace him.

But Bautista is still crucial to testing the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R.

He was fourth on the combined timesheets across the two days in Aragon. On Day 2, he exclusively rode the 2026 bike.

“It has been a positive test,” Bautista reacted.

“It was good to get back on the bike after the long summer break. I instantly felt good on the bike, straight away.

“Aragon is a track I’ve succeeded at before, so it was easy for me to get used to the bike again. 

“On Monday, I spent the whole day with the 2025 bike; we didn’t make a lot of changes, as our goal was to get used to the bike again and get the rhythm back.

“Track conditions weren’t good in the morning because of the rain, but later in the day, the feeling improved as the track dried.

“On Tuesday, I rode with the new 2026 Panigale V4 R. We tried many things to give the engineers feedback and improve the bike. Overall, I think it was a positive test.”