2027 SILLY SEASON: Bulega makes MotoGP switch for 2027, Miller joins Yamaha in WorldSBK

Musical chairs, silly season… call it whatever you want, it’s here in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Riders are starting to be confirmed for the 2027 season while there are others with contracts in place already, and rumours are starting to swirl as well. So, who’s going where for 2027?

ALREADY CONTRACTED

Several riders headed into 2026 with a contract for next season under their belt. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) signed a two-year deal when he signed his latest contract, while Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha), Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and teammate Remy Gardner all have contracts with Yamaha Motor Europe covering 2027.

SIGNED UP FOR 2027

Aside from the riders above who entered 2026 already with contracts for 2027, announcements have started about next year’s grid. At the Emilia-Romagna Round, the Kawasaki WorldSBK Team announced that Garrett Gerloff would remain with them heading into next season, becoming the first rider to be announced for next year outside those already contracted. Also at Misano, the bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team confirmed that Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani would remain with the team in 2027. At World Ducati Week, the Barni Spark Racing Team announced Yari Montella would remain in place for 2027 – his fifth year with the team across WorldSSP and WorldSBK. Early in the summer break, Aruba.it Racing – Ducati announced Iker Lecuona's renewal for 2027 and 2028. Before WorldSBK action resumed at Magny-Cours, Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was confirmed to stay with BMW for “2027 and beyond”.

Just after the French Round concluded, it was announced that Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) would leave Yamaha next season, with Jack Miller making the switch from MotoGP to WorldSBK for 2027. Vierge’s next steps have yet to be confirmed, but he said at Magny-Cours that he had different options. A day later, and it was announced that Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) would be heading to MotoGP, ending the long-running saga about his future.

BULEGA’S SWITCH IMPACT…

A lot of factory seats have been confirmed, but Bulega’s departure opens up what will be one of the most coveted rides in WorldSBK. There will be a whole host of riders searching to join the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad alongside Lecuona next year. Elsewhere, Honda HRC announced Somkiat Chantra and Jake Dixon for 2026 only. In terms of Independent riders, only Montella and Sam Lowes have been confirmed.

RUMOURS BEGIN SPREADING…

Of course, as seats get filled and others lose their spot, rumours begin to fly. Alex Rins confirmed earlier this year that he would not stay with Monster Energy Yamaha Racing in MotoGP and, at the German GP, said he was looking for something in WorldSBK. At BMW, the German manufacturer have confirmed Oliveira for at least next season, while he will have a new teammate for 2027. Danilo Petrucci confirmed at Magny-Cours that he would not race for BMW next year, and is not actively looking for WorldSBK options. In the leadup to MotoGP’s Aragon Grand Prix, several riders in their paddock confirmed they were in talks with teams in WorldSBK for 2027, adding pressure to the scramble for 2027’s seats. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) stated at Mangy-Cours that he will “probably stay” at Motocorsa Ducati.

IN THE MEDIA

With several MotoGP riders currently without a seat in their paddock for 2027, talks of a jump to the WorldSBK paddock are a hot topic at the moment. GPOne have claimed that Aruba.it Racing - Ducati are evaluating MotoGP’s Franco Morbidelli and Moto2’s Manu Gonzalez as the top candidates for their second seat. Morbidelli is alleged to be the frontrunner between them, but Gonzalez’s familiarity with the WorldSBK paddock will work in his favour. Regarding BMW’s future, Speedweek is reporting that current Factory KTM rider in MotoGP Brad Binder will join Miguel Oliveira in the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team garage. Although nothing official is announced for Vierge, Motorsprint linked him to Barni Ducati where he would ride alongside Yari Montella; of course, this would have repercussions for Alvaro Bautista. Adding fuel to the rumours surrounding Alex Rins, GPOne claims that talks are currently underway between the Spaniard and Team GoEleven for a seat on their bike. Notably, the team is concurrently in negotiations for a renewal with their current rider, Lorenzo Baldassarri, and the team is allegedly exploring the option of running two bikes next season.

Confirmed 2027 grid

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