Bulega 'king' of winter tests
Nicolò Bulega in 2023 he took Ducati to the top of the world in the Supersport championship with the Panigale V2 and for now he is impressing aboard the official Panigale V4R in the Superbike winter tests.
The rider who grew up in the VR46 riders academy – with which he won the Junior World Championship and then debuted in Moto3 – was the fastest in Jerez last week and repeated it yesterday in the first of the two days of testing taking place in Portimao in Portugal . Bulega made his debut in the Moto3 World Championship with the number #8, but then switched to#11 to never leave him again. This number is nothing new for the official Ducati team in Superbike, given that in the past it was the number that also distinguished Troy Corser And Ruben Xaus.
The Australian rider won the title in 1996 riding the Ducati racing with number #2 after having come close to the title in the previous season which ended behind Carl Fogarty. The English rider switched to Honda in 1996 and was fourth, with Corser who after winning the title tried his hand in the 500 class with Yamaha without success. In 1998 Corser returned to Superbike in the official Ducati team as Fogarty's garage partner, racing with the number #11 in the two-year period 1998-1999, a table which subsequently accompanied him also to Suzuki and Yamaha (in 2005 he won the title again with the GSXR 1000 from Hamamatsu).
After the 'interlude' Ben Bostrom in 2000 alongside Fogarty – who missed practically the entire season due to injury – with the #155 in 2001 together with the iconic #21 of Troy Bayliss the number #11 returned again in the official Ducati with Ruben Xaus in the three-year period 2001-2003. Neither Corser nor Xaus managed to win the title with the #11 Ducati and both could be considered 'number 2s' to Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss respectively. In 2003 Xaus found the Englishman Neil Hodgson as his new teammate, giving him the second chance in his career in an official Ducati after the one he had in 1997 and the Briton didn't let it slip away, leading the debuting 999 to success. Bulega managed to win the title with number #11 against Bautista's #1? The tests are promising.
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