“Axel is a fast rider; this is a crucial moment for Bulega. I don’t want to think about an alliance between manufacturers that would further penalize Ducati.”
In the Superbike paddock, there’s a lot of talk about the potential of this Ducati, which is stealing the show. At Balaton, the Red machine delivered yet another dominant performance, and there’s really not much more to say about it.
In the post-race interview, we caught up with Serafino Foti, who gave us his take on Ducati’s current situation in this Championship. Bulega is dominating, and there seem to be no rivals to challenge him.
“Nicolò has set a new record for wins, reaching 16, and I think that’s truly extraordinary,” he told us. “Iker is also doing really well; in fact, he’s delivering top-level performances. There are still a few things to iron out, but we’re very happy.”
The question is how much margin Niccolò still has on this bike.
“I don’t think it’s that much, because on Sunday we saw some incredibly close races. Niccolò said so himself; in fact, he pushed to the limit and gave it his all. It’s impressive when we compare it to Toprak’s race last year, when he won by a wide margin, beating Niccolò by about 10 seconds. But this year the race was 18 seconds faster—that’s almost a second per lap. All of this is thanks to the tyres and the work of our technicians. Ducati has a strong presence on the grid, but our guys are truly obsessive about their work. And, in my opinion, we also have the best riders in the Superbike Championship.
Do you think Bulega is ready for the big leap?
“Nicolò will test the MotoGP bike. We’re at a crucial moment in his career. As for MotoGP, since I’m not directly involved, I’m keeping an eye on things from the sidelines; in fact, I listen to what he tells me and what’s coming out of the paddock. But it’s clear that, at this point, he deserves a chance, given that he’s reached an incredible level. Bulega is no longer the rider everyone remembers from five years ago, when he was in Moto2. Today he’s matured, he’s grown, and he’s at a higher level, with truly significant potential.”
Why does he deserve a chance?
“Because he’s fast. Regardless of the team or the bike, he’s a rider who deserves a chance, also because he’s only 26 and can do well in MotoGP too.”
Regarding the regulations, Axel Bassani told us that Ducati shouldn’t be penalized or limited, because if a manufacturer is performing well, it’s only fair that they bring their full potential to the track.
“That speaks to his credit, and we’re pleased about it. It’s true, we’ve homologated a new bike, but behind that is a lot of work and a major investment by the company. It’s not Ducati’s fault that they’ve built an extraordinary production bike, given that the production bike is already incredible.”
So you agree with him…
“I believe the others need to roll up their sleeves too, just as we did in the past. Let’s remember that Kawasaki won six consecutive world championships. BMW is competitive today, even though I’m sorry about Oliveira’s injury. In my opinion, Bassani said the right thing: instead of penalizing those who are fast, we need to work on improving ourselves.”
Do you think we’ll see him back on a Ducati?
“As for his future, I’m sorry to see a rider like him struggling after a good start to the season. Bassani is fast, and I’m convinced he’ll bounce back soon. We all know what he’s done in the past on a Ducati.”
Given the current situation, do you fear some sort of alliance among manufacturers to further penalize Ducati?
“There is a set of rules agreed upon by all manufacturers, and we abide by them. I believe in cycles: we see it in MotoGP too, with Ducati in the lead, then Aprilia, while in SBK it’s Kawasaki and BMW. There are times when you win and others when you struggle. When the tough times come for us, we won’t think about penalizing the winners, but about working to improve our bike.”
