Nicolo Bulega believes tyre management will be key despite mandatory pit stop
Despite the new mandatory pit stop rule for this weekend’s Australian WorldSBK round, Nicolo Bulega still believes tyr🥃e management will be key.
Second fastest on day-one of the 2024 WorldSBK season-opener at Phillip Island, Nicolo Bulega confirmed his pre-season form by 🌱looking very strong, particularl♚y in FP2.
ꦅThe Italian went faster than the new lap record which was set by Andrea ꦜLocatelli in FP1, as did Alex Lowes who topped the session.
WSBK riders react to mandaඣtory pit stops change: “It puts the test to scrap…”
2024 ඣWorld Superbike Phillip Island, Friday Practice - Resultꦰs
But it wasn’t a smooth start for Bulega, who was affected by the high winds: “It was a strang🦋e and difficult day. There was a lot of wind and it was difficult, especially in the exit of the corner.
“Sometimes you felt the wind on the front and it go light, so it was not easy to go full throttle. It was the same🃏 conditions for e🐲verybody so I tried to improve my conditions with the win compared to FP1.
“I made a great improvement. I didn’t have a lo🍒t of fun because I don’t like the wind, but hopefully tomorrow there will be less wiꦇnd.”
A different sett♒ing was tried by Bulega and Ducati and this was no🅷t aided by the conditions.
“We tried s🅷omething different with the setting compared to the test,” added Bulega. “It was difficult to understand because of the wind.
“In some turns it helped you to turn or for braking, buꦫt in other parts of the circuit it was not a help.
“It wa🍃s not so fun because I ♈had to think more about the wind than riding the bike.”
While the top ten were all covered by lessও than half a second, Bulega still believes that tyre management will be key.
Phillip Island is one of the harshest circuits when it comes to tyre degradation, aജnd the new track surface has only enhanced that fear.
That’𒁃s why a mandatory pit stop has been confirmed for both feature races.
Asked about who could be in the mix, Bulꦐega said: “I don’t know. I’m not thinking too much about the weekend. I just want to have fun and p🃏ush my bike until the end of Sunday.
“Every❀body is really close but I think the difference we can make is from lap four or five until you change tyres. It will be important not to destroy the tyres.”
