Who is Superbike World Champion Nicolò Bulega’s (Ducati) favourite?

You couldn’t win the Superbike World Championship this year in a more dominant fashion than Nicolò Bulega. The Italian won 32 out of 36 races and finished second on the podium in the remaining four. In addition, the Ducati factory rider set 31 fastest race laps and secured pole position at eleven out of twelve events. The fact that the 27-year-old is moving to MotoGP for 2027 will no doubt have been welcomed by his fellow riders and fans of the Superbike World Championship alike.

Franco Morbidelli is taking the opposite route for the coming season, taking over his compatriot’s bike in the Aruba.it Ducati factory team. The 31-year-old won the Moto2 World Championship in 2017, but had a season to forget in the premier class this year, finishing only 19th in the championship.

Bulega is certain that it will be a close contest between the Spaniard and the rookie. “Iker will undoubtedly be very strong next year. I hope the same for Franco, whom I also consider to be a top-class rider. I expect the two of them to put on some great battles,” said the Superbike World Champion during his visit to the EICMA motorbike show. “However, because of the changes to the regulations, we’ll have to wait and see how things settle down. On paper, Iker is the man to beat in 2027.”

As a reminder: for the coming season, the sole tyre supplier is switching from Pirelli to Michelin, and a rev limit is being added to the balance system. This is intended to bring the field closer together again and give more manufacturers a chance of winning.