Australian Free Practice 1

Nicolo Bulega picked up exactly where he left off in the pre-season, asserting his dominance from the very start. The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati rider was the class of the field, posting a blistering 1:28.858 to finish the session as the only rider to break into the 1:28 bracket.

Bulega displayed remarkable consistency, completing an 11-lap stint that left his rivals searching for answers in the morning sun. Sam Lowes emerged as the primary challenger, putting his ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati into second place.

Despite being over half a second back from Bulega, Lowes showed strong pace on his favorite circuit. The biggest surprise of the morning, however, was the immediate competitiveness of the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team.

Axel Bassani and Alex Lowes claimed third and fifth respectively, proving the new KB998 project is a legitimate front-runner right out of the gates.