Nicolo Bulega’s debut 🐭WorldSBK season ended in second pl♌ace, but it began in perfect fashion: with a win in Phillip Island.

Bulega’s victory in Race 1 at the Australian Round meant he was the first rider since Alvaro Bautista in 2019 — who happened to be his teammate last s🍸eason — to win at his first attempt in World Superbikes.

“My first weekend was incredible, because [I achieved] p✅ole position — that was already incredible,” Bulega told WorldSBK.com.

“Then, ev𝓰en more incredible was Race 1 because I won my first ever World Superbike race. It was something that I’ll remember for all my life.

He added: “We had thꦍe test a couple of days before and this helped me to arrive to the race with a 🌞little bit of experience.

“I knew that I had to be perfect.

“[I 𝓡thought] ‘You are a rookie, new bike, new asphalt, new circuit with that bike’, and they were other things to think about [d𒈔uring] all the race.”

Bulega explained that the victory was important to justify his move to the factory Ducati team 𝄹for his rookie season, s꧒traight from Supersport.

“Everybody for sure was very happy,” he said, “but I remember the faces of especially some people in my team, also my girജlfriend, w♏ho look at me almost not believing this moment.

“Last year, when I signed the 𒈔contract, someone was not 100 per cent convinced to take me in the factory team already in the first year.

“But some🧸one else was convinced 100 per cent, and I can see the faces, I remember the faces of those guys proud of themselves because they can say ‘Yes, it was a good c💞hoice to take this guy in the first year’.

“My team did an incredible job, I did a good job, and at the end to win was something out of my head, because I didn’t go to Australia to win, just for having✨ fun in my first race.”