SBK World Championship loses its biggest names: Where will Bautista & Petrucci go?

It has been clear for months that Barni Spark Ducati will continue without Alvaro Bautista and the BMW works team without Danilo Petrucci. Consequently, both veterans have left no stone unturned in their efforts to secure a place in the 2027 World Superbike Championship under acceptable conditions.

Bautista’s management has been in contact for some time with team owner Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martinez and the Chinese manufacturer CF Moto, which is planning to enter the World Superbike Championship towards the end of the 2027 season. For CF, Bautista – with his V4 experience gained over many years in MotoGP and on a Ducati in the World Superbike Championship – would be worth his weight in gold. The catch: at almost 42 years of age, Alvaro wants to race, but with CF Moto he would only get the chance to do so after the summer break in September or October 2027 at the earliest.

For a long time, Bautista had ruled out a move to a national championship, but he is now set to join Team Strack Ducati in the US Superbike series, MotoAmerica, for 2027. The Spaniard is handling the negotiations himself, but it is not true that he has parted ways with his manager, Simone Battistella. It is simply the case that, due to his other riders in the SBK and MotoGP paddocks (Montella, Surra, Furusato and others), Battistella cannot also deal with matters in the US. They continue to work together in areas that go beyond team negotiations.

Danilo Petrucci is also drawn to the US

When BMW informed Petrucci that there was no future for them together in the World Championship, it quickly became clear to the Italian that he would probably only be able to find a new role in MotoAmerica. For a while, he saw a glimmer of hope when it emerged that Go Eleven would be fielding two Ducati V4Rs in the World Superbike Championship for the first time in 2027. However, the second seat alongside Lorenzo Baldassarri went to Supersport champion Albert Arenas.

The BMW racing department would have liked to continue with Danilo and put him in touch with the OrangeCat team in MotoAmerica. In mid-September, Petrucci travelled to Austin, Texas, and spent several days with OrangeCat; the dedicated team even organised a track day. No contract was signed, however: OrangeCat opted for a young rider to partner runner-up Sean Dylan Kelly (24).

In early October, the MotoGP and Superbike World Championship winner was contacted by the US team Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha, which clinched the MotoAmerica title this year with Bobby Fong. Petrucci did not sign straight away because, following a disastrous 2026 season marked by numerous injuries and little success, he first wanted to consider whether he still wanted to compete against others. It is now clear: the 36-year-old will remain with us as a racing driver and will be chasing the title for Yamaha in the US next year. This will be Petrux’s second season in MotoAmerica: in 2022, he competed there on a factory Ducati for the Warhorse HSBK team, winning five races and finishing runner-up behind Jake Gagne (Yamaha).

Teams & Riders, 2027 Superbike World Championship: