Bulega to MotoGP, but Italy remains strong in Superbike: who will inherit his mantle?

Bulega in the VR46 MotoGP box next year, but in WorldSBK there are other Italians ready to be major protagonists: some are already collecting excellent results.

Today the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team announced that Nicolò Bulega will leave at the end of the 2026 Superbike season. No surprise, his move to MotoGP in 2027 with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team had been known for a long time and was officially confirmed this morning as well. A move he will make as a world champion, given that he has a huge lead over Iker Lecuona in the standings and will likely be able to celebrate as early as the next round at the Cremona Circuit (September 25-27). At Magny-Cours he bagged a hat-trick of wins, plus pole position, but he wasn’t the only Italian to shine.

The French round also confirmed Yari Montella’s form, fourth in Race 1 and then on the third step of the podium in both the Superpole Race and Race 2. The Barni Spark Racing Team rider is now a sure bet on the SBK grid. After a rookie 2025 with many errors due to inexperience and an eagerness to impress, he matured in 2026 and has racked up an impressive 13 podiums. He holds third place in the overall standings and has a real chance of keeping it until the end. He leads Alex Lowes (Bimota) by 46 points and Sam Lowes (Ducati Elf Marc VDS) by 49.

Three rounds remain (Cremona, Estoril, Jerez) and the Campania-born rider wants to deliver for himself and Marco Barnabò’s squad a milestone that slipped from Danilo Petrucci’s grasp in 2025, when injury struck just as he seemed set to finish third—a final placing never achieved by him nor any other Barni Spark Racing Team rider. Montella is already making history for the Bergamo outfit with his many podiums and could also put the cherry on top. Then, in 2027, he could be even stronger.

It was an excellent weekend at Magny-Cours for Alberto Surra as well, a debutant in the Superbike World Championship. After an initial learning phase, he shifted up a gear and is managing to consistently score excellent results with the Motocorsa Racing Ducati Panigale V4 R. The post-Bassani era wasn’t easy for Lorenzo Mauri’s team, which hadn’t achieved the expected results with either Michael Ruben Rinaldi or Ryan Vickers. The 22-year-old from Piedmont is changing that: in France he finished eighth in Race 1, then fourth in the Superpole Race and fifth in Race 2.

Surra was returning after overcoming mild bursitis in his right shoulder that had forced him to skip Donington Park. Magny-Cours is a lucky track for the Italian rider: it was there that he took his first World Supersport podium in 2025. He was debuting and immediately climbed to third with the Evan Bros Yamaha R9, who had called him in to replace the injured Aldi Satya Mahendra for the final rounds of the calendar. In the overall standings he is ninth, one point ahead of two-time SBK world champion Alvaro Bautista and six points behind Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki). The potential to finish the season in the top 10 is there; we’ll see what the final placing will be.

An overall positive weekend for Lorenzo Baldassarri as well: P6 in Race 1, P7 in the Superpole Race, P4 in Race 2. There was no lack of drama. On Saturday he crashed during the Warm Up Lap, then fortunately jumped back on his Ducati and started regularly; on Sunday on the first lap of the final race he made contact with Xavi Vierge, losing the left wing and a piece of fairing: despite some difficulties with the anti-wheelie and in left-handers, he managed to put on a show. If he improves a bit at the start of races, he can be closer to the podium zone in the next rounds.

He sits sixth overall, 2 points ahead of Axel Bassani and 27 behind Sam Lowes. Considering the doubts that surrounded him when the Go Eleven team signed him, it’s fair to say he’s been a pleasant surprise. At times he could have achieved more, but his 2026 gets a full pass, and a contract renewal with Gianni Ramello’s squad would be deserved.

Montella, Surra, and Baldassarri are riders to watch for 2027 as well, of course. Yari has already renewed his contract, and the two compatriots should do so soon. It’s not official yet, but the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team will replace Bulega with Franco Morbidelli, arriving from MotoGP. One Italian leaves and another arrives. There will still be a strong contingent of Italian riders on Ducati Panigale V4 Rs on the 2027 SBK grid. All of them will have the potential to be competitive. Morbidelli will be under particular pressure, being in the factory team as the direct heir to Bulegas.

Axel Bassani and Andrea Locatelli also hope to have their say, both coming off a negative weekend in France. The latter’s situation is decidedly worse, given that the Yamaha R1 has proven less competitive than the Bimota KB998 Rimini in the 2026 World Championship. We’ll see if, with hard work, the new rules, and the new Michelin tires, steps forward can be made in the future. Bassani and Locatelli have shown they can fight for the podium in the past; it would be great to see them consistently in good positions.