Winning in WorldSBK “never easy” insists Nicolo Bulega after Australia triumph

Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega says his Australian WorldSBK Race 1 win was not “easy”, despite leading from start to finish.

Bulega topped every free practice session and took pole position before Race 1, in which he made the holeshot and led every lap.

It was an “incredible” performance by Bulega, who won in the end by 4.776 seconds, even in his own opinion.

“Pole position, every session first, and win Race 1 is incredible,” Nicolo Bulega told WorldSBK.com after his Race 1 win.

“This track for me is unbelievable, every time I ride here I enjoy every lap, so it’s fantastic and when you have a good feeling with your bike in this track it’s something you cannot explain. 

“So, I’m happy and I want to continue like this.”

Despite the large margin of victory, Bulega insisted the win wasn’t easy.

“I had confidence, for sure, but to win a race is never easy,” he said.

“You have to be focused for 45 minutes, so there are some things that, in a race, can happen. 

“So, you have to be always precise, always perfect, save the tyre, ride fast.There are a lot of things that you have to do in one time.”

Bulega added, with rain in the forecast for Sunday, that he’s “ready” in either wet or dry conditions.

“First of all let’s see the weather because maybe it will rain,” he said. “So, we will see. If it’s dry I’m ready and if it’s rain I’m ready.”

Finally, the Italian was keen to point out that a dominant performance in Phillip Island is not an indicator of an easy run to the title.

“We started very well, 25 points, but also last year I started with a triple [win] but then I lost the championship,” he acknowledged.

“We have to stay focused for all the rounds.”

Bulega’s victory in Race 1 at Phillip Island was his 21st in World Superbike, drawing him level on the all-time list with compatriot and two-time champion Max Biaggi and leaving him one behind Marco Melandri.