Toprak in MotoGP, Bulega a candidate for 2026 WorldSBK king: but there’s a mistake to avoid

After Bulega’s departure towards MotoGP, Bulega is the big favorite to win the next Superbike world title: will it be a one-man show?

Superbike and MotoGP, Nicolò Bulega’s 2025 was packed with commitments and 2026 will be as well. In addition to racing again with the Aruba.it Racing Ducati WorldSBK team, he will also be a Ducati MotoGP test rider. Succeeding in the production-derived world championship and doing well as a tester could open the door to the top class for 2027, a year that will feature new technical regulations and a new tire supplier (Pirelli). Essentially everyone will be starting from scratch, and it could be the right time to test himself in the premier class, where he would reunite with his former rival Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Razgatlioglu decided not to wait and to make the jump to MotoGP already in 2026, thus leaving SBK where he’s been world champion for the past two years and throwing the door wide open for Bulega, runner-up in 2024 and 2025. It’s natural to consider the Emilian rider a strong favorite for the title, but it would be a mistake to think it will all be easy. He certainly shouldn’t think so.

While aware of his strength, he needs to stay humble and focused. Moreover, Ducati will race with a new Panigale V4 R that will need some figuring out. The early signs in the very first tests have been encouraging, but it’s necessary to work the right way to put together a winning package. The competition won’t just sit and watch.

The results, steady growth, and maturity shown in recent seasons are clear: Bulega is no longer a promise, but a sure thing on the Superbike grid. However, precisely when expectations rise, keeping the right mindset becomes crucial. Motorcycle racing history is full of anointed champions who paid dearly for overconfidence. Nicolò seems like a grounded guy and is part of a very experienced team; in theory, the risk of celebrating too early shouldn’t be there.

For Bulega, the key will be the same that made him one of the top riders in SBK: head down, daily work, and humility. Every race must be built, every point earned, without premature calculations. The talent is there, the team is there, and the bike should be as well. Now he needs the maturity of a true champion to crown his dream of winning the Superbike World Championship, after already taking the Supersport title in 2023. It would close a chapter of a fine story that began in 2022, after shelving the disappointments of the Grand Prix paddock to relaunch in a completely new championship like SSP. He has taken the right steps year after year and now seeks definitive consecration, before trying to shine in MotoGP from 2027.