Superbike / Australia, Superpole: Bulega's impressive debut | FP

Dream debut

Pole position and new record lap of the Phillip Island track: he couldn't have hoped for a better Superbike debut than this Nicolò Bulega, in his first Superbike weekend at the Australian Round. The new rider from the Aruba.it – Ducati team will start in front of everyone in both Race 1 and the Superpole Race, with the front row also featuring the presence of another Italian rookie like the returning rider Andrea Iannone And Alex Lowesthe latter already protagonist with Kawasaki in Friday's free practice.

Qualifying report

It was the Brit who was the first to set the record straight at the start, to the point of setting the new absolute record lap at Phillip Island. However, the decisive part of the session was concentrated entirely in the last five minutes, first with the best time of Iannone, also making his debut in Superbike after his four-year disqualification from competition. However, the chances of pole position for the former MotoGP rider vanished immediately afterwards with the performance of Bulega, the only rider to go below the 1:28 mark, stopping the clock on1:27.916. Second position therefore for Iannone, 2 tenths behind his compatriot, and 3 tenths behind for Lowes, who thus completes the front row of the Australian Round. More than half a second behind Toprak Razgatlioglu, 5th in his first qualifying with BMW. The reigning champion, however, did poorly Alvaro Bautista, only 9thbut still ahead of Jonathan Reawho confirms his difficulties with Yamaha on the Australian circuit by finishing in 11th position. Finally, it is worth underlining the absence of Iker Lecuonadeclared unfit for this weekend after the dislocated left shoulder suffered following the fall in Tuesday's tests.

Superbikes | Phillip Island 2024, Superpole: starting grid

Upcoming events

A few more hours of waiting and, more precisely at 6:00 Italianthe Superbike will return to the track again for the first time Race 1 of the year. The event can be followed live on Sky Sports MotoGP but also in clear on TV8. It should be remembered that, for this round, the pit stop from the ninth to the eleventh lap will be mandatory to replace the rear tyre, due to the excessive wear of the tires on the new asphalt of Phillip Island. The race, like Race 2, will also be shortened to 20 laps.