WorldSBK Championship leader Nicolo Bulega has confirmed he will switch to MotoGP for the 2027 season after signing with VR46 Ducati.
Bulega has been a revelation in the WorldSBK class since making his debut in 2024, finishing runner-up to Toprak Razgatlioglu in his rookie season before once again becoming vice champion in 2025.
However, after Razgatlioglu made the switch to MotoGP for 2026, Bulega has been the dominant force in WorldSBK and has broken countless records aboard the factory Ducati machine.
Bulega set a new WorldSBK record for the most consecutive victories, with an incredible 25 wins in a row, spanning the 2025 Estoril round through to Race 1 at Donington Park this year.
The Italian also impressed Ducati bosses as a stand-in for Marc Marquez when the MotoGP champion was injured in Mandalika last year, finishing 15th on both his appearances and has tested both the new MotoGP Pirelli tyres and the 850cc engine.
His performances in both categories have been enough to see him move from WorldSBK to MotoGP, with Ducati electing to sign Bulega to the satellite VR46 team for 2027 deal.
“Making it to MotoGP is a dream, because I will make my debut with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team,” Bulega said.
“I chose this team because I’ve always been linked to them: I was in the VR46 Riders Academy when I was a child, so I know everyone very well. So, making this step with people I know is easier from a human perspective.
“Moreover, they are all extremely professional. When I started to race, I had the dream of arriving to MotoGP. Then, for many reasons, my career took a different path: I moved to WorldSBK, when I focused build a successful career. But these years have gone far beyond my expectations, so we thought about making this step up to the premier class.
“I’m happy to reach this goal, even if it took me a little longer and I did a different journey compared to the usual one. For sure, it’s amazing and I’m very proud.
“Now, I don’t want to set any goals, I want to try to do well, take it one race at a time, especially at the beginning, and do the best job possible. I want to thank the entire VR46 Racing Team, Ducati Corse and Aruba for making this possible.”
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