Bold claim: Nicolo Bulega is a phenomenon on the same level as Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Danilo Petrucci believes he is catching up fast. This season’s World Superbike title race came down to the wire, pitting BMW’s Razgatlioglu against Ducati’s Bulega. Razgatlioglu ultimately secured his third world title and is set to move to MotoGP in 2026 with the Pramac Yamaha squad.
Bulega is now the frontrunner for the 2026 World Superbike crown, while also taking on a significant testing role in MotoGP for Ducati. He rode in MotoGP twice last season as a stand-in for the injured Marc Marquez, earning two points. Expectations are high that he will be on the MotoGP grid in 2027, likely with one of Ducati’s teams, as he leads development of the 850cc machine on Pirelli tires.
Petrucci has publicly backed both of his World Superbike peers to win races in MotoGP. He also contends that Bulega deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Razgatlioglu.
“Honestly, Nicolo has shown himself to be very, very strong this year,” Petrucci told Moto.it. “I already knew he was talented, but this year he’s proven himself to be a phenomenon, in my view, on par with Toprak, who has already moved to MotoGP. I believe Nicolo will catch up with him soon; within a year, he’ll be there because he deserves it.
“I have the utmost respect for both Bulega and Toprak; I think they can both win MotoGP races.”
Petrucci, who claimed his first MotoGP victory with Ducati at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix and followed up with a win at the 2020 French Grand Prix in wet conditions, is transitioning from a customer Ducati ride in World Superbikes to BMW for the 2026 season. He will partner five-time MotoGP race winner Miguel Oliveira, who moves from Pramac Yamaha after losing his seat to Razgatlioglu.
Background note: Lewis joined Crash.net in August 2024 after five years covering MotoGP for the Motorsport Network.
