Nicolo Bulega delivered a stunning performance at the 2024 French WorldSBK round, securing a remarkable victory in Race 2 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.
The win not only marked Bulega’s third career triumph in the World Superbike Championship but also showcased his resilience and determination following a challenging Saturday after crashing out of Race 1.
The final race of the 2024 French WorldSBK unfolded with high stakes, especially given the absence of several top contenders, including champions Toprak Razgatlioglu, Jonathan Rea, and Alvaro Bautista, who were unable to continue racing for the weekend after falling victim to the tricky conditions.
The race commenced with Nicolo Bulega starting from pole position after a strong performance in the Superpole race, where he narrowly defeated Alex Lowes.
As the lights went out, the Aruba.IT Ducati rider quickly established himself at the front with his impressive speed and control. He was closely followed by Danilo Petrucci, who aimed to capitalize on any mistakes made by the leader.
Meanwhile, Xavi Vierge and Michael van der Mark were also in the mix contending for podium positions.
By the halfway mark, Bulega had built a comfortable gap of approximately 2.5 seconds over Petrucci, who was in second place. Behind him the battle for third place was intense, with Garrett Gerloff, Axel Bassani, and van der Mark all fighting for the final podium position.
Gerloff in particular showed remarkable determination after recovering from a dismal start to eventually contend for a top-three finish which he eventually secured, marking his first podium finish for BMW in the WorldSBK series.
As the race progressed, Bulega continued extending his lead, with Petrucci unable to close the gap. The Italian rider’s performance was marked by precision and discipline, allowing him to navigate the circuit effectively while managing tire wear.
Meanwhile, Alex Lowes managed to finish in fourth place despite dropping all the way back to last place after the British rider appeared to have a gear issue in the early stages of the race but kept pushing for fourth.
Michael van der Mark was unable to match his performance in the opening race as he finished in fifth place. Behind the Dutchman was Remy Gardner who had been having a terrible weekend until he finished sixth in the final race.
In seventh place was British rider Scott Redding as once again all three of the BMW riders who took part this weekend were inside the top ten. Eighth and ninth places were occupied by Team HRCwith Xavi Vierge finishing ahead of his teammate, Iker Lecuona.
Rounding out the top ten was PATA Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli.
