It’s his race and he knows it well! Yes, because he grew up in Misano, covering thousands and thousands of kilometers over time. And this time, as if that wasn’t enough, he gets there riding the red motorbike, the one he dreamed of so much last year.
Nicolò Bulega is ready for the Riviera stage and wants to play a leading role on his Ducati V4 in one of the most anticipated rounds of the entire season. We shared a long chat with him talking about his past and obviously the moment he is experiencing now. We therefore talk about the track and at the same time about who Nicolò is, that boy born on October 16th 24 years ago in Montecchio Emilia.
“To tell the truth, I didn’t think I’d start the season so well – he began – we’ve started off on the right foot and I can’t wait for the race weekend in Misano to start. In fact, I am very curious about the support and cheering that will be there and I hope it will be a great weekend for everyone. What to say: Misano is a special round, there is the passion of the whole Riviera and I think it is the perfect context for everyone to have fun together. Obviously there is anticipation, I understand that and I hope to have a good weekend for all those who come.”
Nicolò, let’s take a step back to Phillip Island. What changed after that Saturday?
“The victory at Phillip Island gave me more confidence in tackling the following races, because you free yourself and take away that little thing that maybe accompanies you. In some ways it’s a good thing while in another not so much, because the moment you get a second place like in Barcelona in Race 1 then you get pissed off and think you did badly, but that’s not entirely the case.”
Speaking of Superbike: how do you experience this paddock?
“When I came here I found a relaxed and more professional atmosphere than in Moto2. You have more time to understand things and the people you find in the paddock are much calmer and it’s a pleasure to stop with people and exchange a few words. I’m happy, because this is a really great environment.”
As soon as he arrived in Superbike, Serafino Foti’s first piece of advice was to smile a little more.
“Exactly and I replied: when I have reason to smile, I will smile more. The fact is that in Moto2 I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted and everything around me had shut down. As I have already said on several occasions, everything became more complicated, even going out to eat a simple pizza.”
Did you think it depended on you or were you certain of your qualities?
“I still felt strong, but I understood that I didn’t have that package and those people around me capable of bringing out what I had inside. Then when I arrived in this paddock I rediscovered that desire to ride a motorbike that I had previously lost and now I feel as strong as when I started the World Championship. All, obviously, thanks to the support from the team and Aruba.”
What would you change about that past that dates back to Moto2 or first?
“I honestly don’t know. However, one thing that I often tell myself is to trust myself a little more and listen less to someone outside. I will treasure this for the future.”
Last year, speaking with Tardozzi, he told me that he has always been impressed by your talent.
“Tardozzi is a person I respect and I am grateful to him for all his words towards me. Once he even told me: “look, the riders we have now in MotoGP are the same ones you were fighting with until recently”. But nothing gets done with ifs and buts, because I’m here in SBK and they’re in MotoGP.”
Do you sometimes think you could have been there with them?
“It may be because in the end they are the same ones I competed with, as Tardozzi said. Maybe I should have trusted myself and my head more. Now, however, I can’t go back, but only think about the present and I’m happy to be here with the whole Aruba family by my side.”
Do you still hear Valentino?
“Yes, he wrote to me after Australia and also after Barcelona. Despite my release of the VR46 we still remained in contact, without exchanging too many messages. I’m happy to have stayed in touch with him. I don’t see him much, because I imagine he is busy with his programs.”
Nicolò, let’s talk about you and get straight to the point: from the outside, many think that you are a guy who gets away with it. What can you tell us about it?
“I am a person who cannot pretend, I think I am transparent and spontaneous. If a person pisses me off I’ll let them know right away, same thing the other way around. I know I often come off as obnoxious, but none of this is dictated by the fact that I want to walk around with a puffed out chest. Sometimes this image of me transpires simply because I am closed to people I don’t know and I don’t tend to give confidence. The fact is that by doing so it turns out that I’m a slob, but that’s not the case, I’m not because in the end I chat and joke without problems with anyone I know.”
Last year many thought you weren’t ready for the Ducati factory due to the pressure.
“When there was doubt about whether to join the official team or Go Eleven, I remember there was the question of pressure. All this surprised me, because I never paid attention to the pressure issue, given that the only thing I wanted was the factory team. I think those riders who aren’t doing well have more pressure, because when you find yourself in a non-competitive team it increases more and more while in an official team you have so many certainties.”
If one day they were to put Marquez on your team, how would you react?
“Maybe I would learn a lot of things.”
Speaking instead of MotoGP. What can you tell us about Pecco and Enea? Among other things, as you said in the interview with Migno, Bagnaia owes you his life.
“Exact. I saved Pecco’s life because I had a car with a door that didn’t close properly on the passenger side and it almost flew out. But I kept it inside by force (smiles). And then there was that time we got lost on the quad in the desert in Qatar and they came to pick us up (she remembers smiling). I’ll tell you some more background later (jokes)… Having said that, I hang out with Enea a little more than Bagnaia, in fact we often find ourselves eating together. He is a strong and very talented rider, but perhaps he needs to have everything perfect around him to give his best, a bit like me in some ways”.
Bagnaia instead?
“I see him less, but we are always on excellent terms. With Pecco we play Call Of Duty a lot on the PlayStation.”
Who is the strongest?
“At least I can beat him there”.
Do you talk to Dall’Igna every now and then?
“We talk to Gigi often, sometimes I stop by his office. She seems like a person with very clear ideas to me, in fact she always asks you specific questions and you have to answer accordingly. He listens to you and then immediately asks you the next question without talking too much”
