Becoming MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion is about reaching the pinnacle of production-based racing. It can also mean much more, and as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) prepares for his coronation, he’s also gearing up for his move to MotoGP. As Steve English explains the Italian is just the latest rider proving the worth of WorldSBK
DOING THE TALKING ON TRACK
Bulega is on the verge of becoming the most understated World Champion in WorldSBK history. The Italian doesn’t hold court in public but does his talking on the racetrack. Once he rides down pitlane his persona changes. The quiet, measured Italian transforms into a racer driven by the prospect of domination. Bulega has swept the competition this year and smashed the record books. All that awaits is his coronation. It will be fitting that this should occur on home soil this weekend. At Cremona he’ll have his first opportunity to clinch the title, and he’ll be determined to get the job done as early as possible.
EXCITEMENT FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD
While Bulega has laid waste to WorldSBK, the health of the series is an interesting talking point within the paddock. On track, this is a season that will soon be forgotten. One man dominating a series never makes for a year that many want to repeat. Off track, though, there is excitement. Next year’s change of tyre supplier, new regulations and new riders will ensure that 2027 should play out differently. This is also a key moment in time for the Superbike World Championship. The production-based bike ethos has been much discussed in recent months, but the stability that comes with a known technical roadmap gives the WorldSBK class a clearer future. It has also allowed WorldSBK to become an increasingly important proving ground for riders with Grand Prix ambitions.
THE FEELING WORKING IN WORLD SUPERBIKE
It can be a strange feeling to work in WorldSBK. Inside the paddock we want to see the best of the best battling it out on track. We want to be entertained. We want to be thrilled. We want to see that if you’re able to dominate and set the tone in WorldSBK, you’ve earned the right to move to MotoGP. We want WorldSBK to be respected. The MotoGP grid should be the best riders on the planet lining up to prove themselves. It should include the men that have dominated WorldSBK in recent years.
EARNING THEIR RIGHT…
Bulega has earned the right just as Toprak Razgatlioglu deserved that right. The duo will line-up on the grid at Buriram, amidst the biggest regulation change in Grand Prix since the introduction of four-stroke machinery in 2002, and they’ll feel ready for the challenge.
They aren’t the only ones.
Manuel Gonzalez, the 2019 WorldSSP300 champion, currently leads the Moto2 World Championship. With ten Grand Prix wins and 24 podiums, he has shown himself to be a superb rider. After winning the European Talent Cup he didn’t have the budget or opportunity to race in the Moto3 Junior World Championship. He forged his path through the WorldSBK paddock and his hard work has allowed him to finish third in Moto2 in 2024, runner-up in 2025 and on course to win the title this year.
RED BULL ROOKIES SUCCESS FOR FERNANDEZ
Benat Fernandez (Kove Racing Team 109) is the latest rider that has proved himself in the World Superbike paddock before moving to the Grand Prix paddock. The young Spaniard came to WorldSSP300 last year as an unknown. Having won the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup at the weekend he’ll now move to the Moto3 World Championship as an expected front runner. Would Fernandez have achieved what he has achieved without racing full-time in WorldSBK?
A PLACE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Talent always rises. You can't hide it forever. What WorldSBK is beginning to prove is that the production-based paddock can be more than the destination for riders who have left MotoGP. It can be the place where the next generation proves they belong there. If you're fast enough, if you're able to stand out from the crowd, WorldSBK can give you the chance to race on the biggest stage of all.
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