Nicolo Bulega: Toprak’s successor will not fail in MotoGP

The success stories of Nicolo Bulega and Toprak Razgatlioglu in the World Superbike Championship could hardly be more different. In 2021, the Turkish rider restored Yamaha to the number one spot after a twelve-year drought – only the second time this has happened in the production-based world championship, which was founded in 1988. He then moved to BMW, securing the German manufacturer’s first title in a solo motorcycle world championship in 2024 – a first in the company’s history spanning over 100 years – and went one better in 2025. Toprak triumphed three times on a motorbike that was not considered the best in its day, but managed to squeeze every last bit of performance out of it with his spectacular riding style. He was the golden boy of the SBK paddock and worked his way up through the classes until he rose to become a giant.

Bulega’s story was quite different. Once a great talent in the Moto3 World Championship, he subsequently struggled in Moto2 for various reasons. Team manager Serafino Foti and Aruba CEO Stefano Cecconi placed their trust in him and brought him into the Supersport World Championship in 2022. After securing bronze in his first year, Nico became champion in commanding fashion in 2023. At the time, the unanimous view in the paddock was that these successes were largely down to the fast Ducati V2.

Nico Bulega silenced the critics

With his flawless transition to the World Superbike Championship, Bulega silenced all his critics. He led his 2024 team-mate Alvaro Bautista – world champion in the two preceding years – from the outset, partly due to the introduction of the minimum combined weight of rider and bike, which the Spaniard still struggles with to this day. Even more impressive was the tenacity with which the rookie Toprak put up a fight; in the 2025 title race, Bulega lost by just 13 points.

Anyone who says Bulega is riding the best bike this year is right. But eight other riders on the grid are riding a Panigale V4R – and usually stand no chance against the 26-year-old. It is not just the team that makes the difference, but the rider too.

Nicolo Bulega has set several records this year. The most important ones: he won the first 21 races, and across seasons, as many as 25 in a row. He achieved the triple eight times, losing to an opponent on just four occasions – each time to his Aruba team-mate Iker Lecuona. Nine pole positions in ten events and 25 fastest race laps in 30 races further underline the Ducati ace’s dominance. 602 World Championship points in ten events: no one before him has ever scored that many.

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Nicolo Bulega: Toprak’s successor will not fail in MotoGP

The Italian Nicolo Bulega is the first rider to have won the world title in both the Supersport and Superbike classes; from 2027, he will be racing in MotoGP. His performances this season are second to none.

Ivo Schützbach

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And – this is particularly significant on an emotional level – Nico became the first Italian to be crowned Superbike World Champion on a Ducati. The only other SBK champion from Italy is Max Biaggi, who shone with Aprilia in 2010 and 2012. Bulega is also the only rider to have won the title in the top Superbike category after securing the Supersport title.

Willkommen zum Rennen in Cremona

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Nicolò Bulega

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Fans

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Sam und Alex Lowes

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Iker Lecuona

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Jake Dixon

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Garrett Gerloff

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Das Bike von Yari Montella

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Nicolò Bulega

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Axel Bassani

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Alex Lowes

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Xavi Vierge

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Alberto Surra

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Jake Dixon

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Andrea Locatelli

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Nicolò Bulega

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Sam Lowes

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Axel Bassani

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Yari Montella

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Andrea Locatelli

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Iker Lecuona gewinnt beide Läufe in Cremona

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Nicolò Bulega ist Superbike-Weltmeister 2026

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Weltmeister Nicolò Bulega

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Lauf 1 - Nicolò Bulega, Iker Lecuona, Sam Lowes

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Lauf 2 - Nicolò Bulega, Iker Lecuona, Yari Montella

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Cremona-Sieger Iker Lecuona

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Weltmeister Nicolò Bulega

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Cremona

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Bulega will be more successful than Toprak

Bulega has a MotoGP contract for 2027 and 2028 and will race for Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team. He is heavily involved in Ducati’s development of the new 850cc bike fitted with Pirelli tyres; no other regular rider in 2027 will go into the season as well prepared.

It doesn’t take a Nostradamus to predict that Bulega will perform significantly better than Razgatlioglu in his first MotoGP season. For whilst Ducati has been setting the pace in the premier class for years, Yamaha is floundering in the valley of the lost. Even the most optimistic Yamaha fans doubt that this pecking order will change much with the new technical regulations coming into force in 2027.

Numerous experts see Bulega finishing in the top six in his first MotoGP season and are convinced that he will develop well even amongst this competition. Whether Razgatlioglu finds his way back to success depends first and foremost on the competitiveness of the new Yamaha.