Nicolo Bulega (Ducati) humbly remarked: “Something like this only happens once in a lifetime”

The Superbike World Championship has never seen the sort of dominance that Nicolo Bulega has displayed this season. On the one hand, this makes the races boring and predictable; on the other, the Italian commands our utmost respect with his sporting achievements. At the Circuito do Estoril, not far from the Portuguese capital Lisbon, he secured his ninth ‘triple’ of the season – having set a pole position record on Saturday – winning all three races by a comfortable margin. In 33 races, Nico has triumphed 29 times!

Nothing about Bulega’s victories is easy

From the outside, Bulega’s victories may have looked easy, but nothing in motor racing is easy. “Iker Lecuona was very strong,” said the Ducati star about his Aruba team-mate, who finished second in all three races. “My feel for the bike wasn’t particularly good in the Superpole race; I had quite a bit to discuss with my team. I struggled to find the limit under braking and on corner entry. That was better in the second main race, which is why I was stronger. At the start I was doing 1:34, which is an incredible pace. On fresh tyres, Iker was hardly any slower than me; it was only from the middle of the race onwards that I was faster, because I’d been more careful with the tyres.”

Willkommen in Estoril

Foto: Gold & Goose

Yari Montella

Foto: Gold & Goose

Miguel Oliveira

Foto: Gold & Goose

Alberto Surra

Foto: Gold & Goose

Nicolò Bulega

Foto: Gold & Goose

Lorenzo Baldassarri

Foto: Gold & Goose

Alex Lowes

Foto: Gold & Goose

Iker Lecuona

Foto: Gold & Goose

Nicolò Bulega

Foto: Gold & Goose

Jake Dixon

Foto: Gold & Goose

Yari Montella

Foto: Gold & Goose

Miguel Oliveira

Foto: Gold & Goose

Axel Bassani

Foto: Gold & Goose

Lorenzo Baldassarri

Foto: Gold & Goose

Álvaro Bautista

Foto: Gold & Goose

Nicolò Bulega gewinnt beide Läufe in Estoril

Foto: Gold & Goose

Bulega und Lecuona

Foto: Gold & Goose

Lecuona, Bulega, Surra

Foto: Gold & Goose

Sieger Nicolò Bulega

Foto: Gold & Goose

Yari Montella

Foto: Gold & Goose

Willkommen in Estoril

© Gold & Goose

Bulega didn’t let the light rain in some corners throw him off his rhythm either. “I had nothing to lose,” he emphasised. “The rain wasn’t too heavy, but I could smell it under my helmet. I didn’t care – I’m already champion, I could have afforded to make a mistake; it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the season. It was a bit windy, but the tarmac didn’t get wet, so I was able to push 100 per cent and take a few risks – I had everything under control. Winning 29 races in a single season is unbelievable, fantastic. I’ll never manage a season like this again, that’s for sure; it’s impossible to repeat. Something like this only happens once in a lifetime, so I’m savouring it. The wins at Estoril give me extra confidence for Jerez, a circuit I really like.”

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