The silly season rumour mill is in full swing as MotoGP seats fill up, bringing big implications to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock as several teams are vying to land one of the talented names left off the grid. Three such riders were asked about their 2027 plans on Thursday ahead of the Aragon Grand Prix, adding more fuel to the intrigue surrounding next season’s grid.
“IT'S A DIFFERENT FORM OF RACING… BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGE"
A MotoGP veteran through and through, Jack Miller hails from Townsville, Australia, and over his 11 years he has competed for nearly every manufacturer on the grid, amassing 210 Grand Prix starts. He’s placed on the podium 23 times, with four wins among them, yet the Aussie has found himself without a seat. It’s been announced that he will be departing the team at the end of the season and Spanish youngster Izan Guevara will be taking his place at Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP next to three-time WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
On his future, Miller said: "I'm looking at options over in WorldSBK, trying to swap over there and with my experience on the Michelin tyre over the last 11 years, hopefully I'll be able to take some of that experience over there and see what we can do in a different form of racing. It's a different form of racing, they're different bikes, different format over the weekend, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. There's some stuff over there, sure, but we're not in a massive rush to try to secure something tomorrow, it's about making the decision that I like the most going forward. It has to suit me, where I see my career going in the next few years and what sort of route I'd like to take.”
“I HAVE SOME OPTIONS IN WORLD SUPERBIKE, SOME GOOD TEAMS”
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Alex Rins is another of the odd men out from the 2027 MotoGP grid. The Spanish 30-year-old not only once again confirmed his ongoing talks with teams within the WorldSBK paddock, but also said he has other mystery suitors in pursuit of the eight-time MotoGP race winner. Rins earned his stripes in a strong 2020 title run, coming up short behind Joan Mir; however, the #42 finished in third with a win and four podiums.
On his future, the Spaniard said: “Regarding my future, honestly, I don't know. I have some opportunities in other championships, in WorldSBK, but also maybe we have some opportunities in others. I still need to decide; I need to see it and to think. Luckily, I have some options in WorldSBK, some good teams, and as I said, some other championships that I was quite surprised by that are quite interesting."
“WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH SOMEBODY. WE'RE TRYING TO SORT IT OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”
Another rider seemingly left without a MotoGP seat for 2027: Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team hasn’t re-signed Franco Morbidelli for 2027, instead confirming the signing of Fermin Aldeguer, as their second seat remains vacant for now. It looks like that Roman rider is eyeing a move to WorldSBK. An active rider in the Championship since 2018, the Italian has accumulated three wins and eight podiums and has competed atop Honda, Yamaha, and most recently, Ducati machinery, where he sits seventh in the Riders’ Championship.
On his 2027 plans, Morbidelli continues to hold his cards close to his chest, stating: “We've been discussing what we're going to be doing next year; we've been talking with somebody. We're trying to sort it out as soon as possible, but nothing is defined yet."
When pressed further on whether that somebody pertains to the WorldSBK paddock, his reply was simply a laconic: “Yep.”
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