As had been anticipated for a very long time, VR46 introduced on Wednesday the arrival of WorldSBK championship chief Nicolo Bulega alongside Fermin Aldeguer for the 2027 MotoGP season.
Bulega will change Franco Morbidelli, who is anticipated to make the other transfer and be a part of Ducati in WorldSBK.
VR46 introduced a one-year deal; Bulega might be contracted with Ducati and supplied with a manufacturing unit bike, identical to Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta and Aldeguer. This would be the first time Valentino Rossi’s outfit has two manufacturing unit bikes, with Ducati assuming most of that expense.
“Attending to MotoGP is a dream, as I’ll make my debut with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Staff,” Bulega stated. “I selected this group as a result of I’ve at all times been linked to them: I used to be a part of the VR46 Riders Academy after I was a toddler, so I do know everybody very properly. I do not need to set particular targets. I need to attempt to do properly, go race by race and do one of the best job doable.”
Bulega would be the solely Italian racing a Ducati in 2027, alongside 5 Spaniards, because the Gresini pairing will characteristic Joan Mir and Dani Holgado.
Nicolo Bulega racing for Ducati in MotoGP final 12 months
Picture by: Steve Wobser / Getty Photos
It is just a matter of time earlier than the 26-year-old clinches the WorldSBK title on his solution to a MotoGP paddock return, having left by the again door in 2021.
Bulega had proven nice promise in Moto3 with VR46’s help however did not adapt to Moto2, finally shedding the academy’s backing. Along with his profession taking a flip for the more serious, he selected to start out from scratch in WorldSBK help collection WorldSSP in 2022, changing into its champion in 2023 with 16 wins.
Subsequently graduating to WorldSBK, Bulega has been rising, and this season he has received 26 out of 27 races, finishing a sporting and private journey by the desert that may deliver him again, in 2027, to the premier class of bike racing.
For Bulega, driving a Ducati MotoGP bike is nothing new, as he stood in for injured Marc Marquez on two events final 12 months, and in addition took half within the 2026 pre-season check. Bulega’s high quality, in addition to his expertise with a smaller bike and Pirelli tyres, means he could also be a frontrunner subsequent season in MotoGP.
In the meantime, Morbidelli’s MotoGP profession involves an finish after 9 seasons within the premier class, the place he was runner-up in 2020, simply 13 factors wanting the title. He had beforehand claimed the Moto2 crown in 2017.
For the 32-year-old, a brand new alternative now opens as much as battle for wins and titles with the official Ducati group – one which has ruthlessly dominated WorldSBK to date this 12 months.
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