Despite seeing his WorldSBK winning streak come under threat, Nicolo Bulega emerged from Aragón with another hat-trick of victories.
Bulega arrived at MotorLand Aragon on the back of another hat-trick of victories at the Czech WorldSBK Round.
On Saturday, the Italian rider secured a comfortable win in Race 1, once again finishing ahead of his teammate, Iker Lecuona.
However, on Sunday, there appeared to be a genuine possibility that Bulega’s winning streak could come to an end.
For the Superpole Race, the 26-year-old opted for the harder rear tyre, while the rest of the field chose the softer compound.
During the opening laps, Bulega dropped from pole position to fifth place, and it looked as though Lecuona was on course to claim his first WorldSBK victory.
The Italian fought his way back through the pack and, as the race entered its closing stages, the advantage of his tyre choice became clear. While the riders on the softer compound began to suffer significant tyre degradation, Bulega still had plenty of grip in reserve.
The factory Ducati rider went on to win the Superpole Race before extending his unbeaten run later on Sunday with a dominant victory in Race 2, leading from start to finish.
After the Aragon WorldSBK Round, Bulega told Speedweek, “The first few laps were a bit difficult for me because of the hard tyre, as the others were able to get on the gas faster.
“I knew I just had to stay calm and in the group and not lose too much time, because I would be much faster in the final laps. I tried the hard SC0 in the warm-up and was very quick, so I chose that strategy.
“Pirelli told me that the soft SCX rear tyre would drop off in the last three or four laps. My plan was to go fast in the first few laps and then have an advantage.
“I enjoyed it. Winning was the icing on the cake. But what I really enjoyed was overtaking a lot. The race was like last year against Toprak, which I liked.
“In a race like this sprint, you feel the adrenaline rush when you overtake someone. You have all the bikes and riders around you; it really gets you pumped up.
“But winning by a margin is nice too. Because it means you have the perfect feeling for your bike and can push as hard as you want. Both are great.”