Another WSBK Star Joins the MotoGP Rankings. And He's Following His Former Rival

Nicolo Bulega will replace Frankie Morbidelli at VR46 for the 2027 MotoGP season. A move not dissimilar to Toprak Razgatlıoğlu's last year.

Photo by: Motorsport.com

By: Robbie Bacon

Sep 14, at 7:27am ET

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WorldSBK (WSBK) points leader, Nicolo Bulega, is riding a wave of success in 2026; he absolutely smashed the record for the most consecutive wins in the Superbike championship, winning 25 on the trot. Last year, Bulega finished second behind Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, who then left to pursue MotoGP, and it would seem that Bulega's 2026 performance has done enough to challenge the Turkish rider once more in 2027.

Bulega's fierce pace this year has earned him a place on the 2027 MotoGP grid; however, it's unknown how long his contract is for. The Italian rider will replace another Italian rider, in the form of Frankie Morbidelli, at VR46. Although Morbidelli is leaving the MotoGP paddock, there's a high chance the Italian rider will stay on Ducati machinery when he moves to WSBK in 2027. But while Morbidelli's move to WSBK after not getting a seat in MotoGP next season is textbook, Bulega's move to MotoGP from WSBK isn't.

There was a time when making the jump from WSBK to MotoGP wasn't uncommon, but for nearly the past two decades, that wasn't the case. Riders either pursued a route to MotoGP through Moto3 and Moto2, or went into production racing in the hopes of competing at the highest level in WSBK. But for the time being, it looks like that mould is being reshaped.

It's worth noting that this isn't Bulega's first time in the GP paddock, far from it. The 26-year-old rider spent three seasons in Moto3, and a further three in Moto2, but his results were poor, and he never won a Grand Prix race. In 2022, the Italian joined WorldSSP and has now completed something of a full-circle manoeuvre.

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Speaking about Bulega's departure, Stefano Cecconi, Aruba.it Racing Team Principal, said, "When we chose Nicolo, we knew we were investing in a young rider with great talent, but the journey we have shared has continued to exceed expectations. His progression makes us particularly proud because it confirms the team's philosophy: believing in hard work, in riders' growth, and in the ability to build important results step by step."

Bulega leads the WSBK championship by 146 points over his teammate, Iker Lecuona, and has the opportunity to clinch the title at Cermona at the end of this month. If and when he does, he'll cap the most dominant performance in WSBK history, so far winning 26 out of the 27 races this season and getting on the podium for the past 40 races consecutively.