After two seasons in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and two times finishing runner-up, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) is putting it all on Ducati red as he rides into the 2026 campaign. With his title rival for the past two seasons, Toprak Razgatlioglu, now having departed for the MotoGP paddock, ‘Bulegas’ rides into this new campaign as the title favourite, but he will by no means have an easy go of things if his host of talented competitors have anything to say about it.

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING: Bulega’s immense talent was picked up on from the start

The 26-year-old Italian has taken the WorldSBK paddock by storm ever since his arrival from Moto2 for the 2022 season. Bulega was hailed from a young age as one of the most talented riders of his generation, after he won the two domestic championships in 2012 and 2013, and then, in 2015, won the Moto3 European Championship at just 16 years old. The latter performance earned him a spot in the VR46 Racing Team in Moto3, where he performed well with the team, finishing seventh in his first season. His next three seasons in the class were productive, not quite as high as his Championship successes in years prior, but showing promise in spades: enough to land him a spot in Moto2. His 2019 season would prove to be his last in the category with the VR46 Racing Team, and that year’s 17th-place finish was his best finish in the class. 2020 and 2021 were tough seasons in which he missed the podium, finishing 20th and then 26th; looking for a fresh start, he moved to the WorldSBK paddock to join the Supersport World Championship.

A STAR REBORN: Bulega finds his feet again in the WorldSBK paddock

Bulega packed his bags and arrived in the WorldSSP field with a key figure remaining by his side. Tomasso Raponi began his collaboration with the #11 back in his Moto2 days, and the two forged a strong mentorship bond. Despite the novelty of his bike and the lack of success he had in his years prior in Moto2, Bulega burst onto the scene and earned a podium in Race 2 of the 2022 season-opening weekend at Aragon, his first of nine on the season. He went on to finish in fourth in the Riders’ Championship in that debut season. His sophomore season showed his first glimpse of dominance in this paddock; a sensational 16-win, 21-podium effort in the 24-race 2024 season, which was capped off by hoisting the World Championship trophy. He shined from Friday to Sunday across that season’s race weekends, sitting pole 10 times, aiding him to six doubles on the season.

His success sent him up to the WorldSBK category in 2024, joining two-time World Champion Alvaro Bautista in the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati box. Bulega quickly proved his mettle, tossing his hat into early on what looked to be a three-way title fight between the Spaniard and ‘El Turco’ and ‘Bulegas’. While Razgatlioglu held off the pair of Ducatis to eventually take the title, Bulega demonstrated to the world that his pace hadn’t gone anywhere and that he was back to his winning ways. Having established himself as the main rider in the Aruba.it – Ducati box, 2025 looked to be a true head-to-head between ‘Bulegas’ and ‘El Turco’. Despite early-season setup troubles, Bulega again found himself foiled by Razgatlioglu’s extraterrestrial ability. Despite coming in second place, Bulega showed signs of another step: doubling his win tally from 2024, increasing his podium count from 24 to 32 and taking wins from the #1 at tracks he usually dominates, like at Mos,t thanks to last-lap heroics from the Italian.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: “I know can be fast, and I hope to put my two years of experience together to try to make another step this year”

With so many lessons learned throughout his career, Bulega speaks and rides with the composure and measured demeanour of a veteran. That inherent composure will be an important trait for Bulega as all eyes are on him this season to plant his flag atop the mountain and proclaim himself WorldSBK Champion. Further augmenting his abilities, Ducati’s new 2026 Panigale V4 R has arrived to the paddock to launch Bulega around the circuits shooting for record times. A host of talented riders will look to confound that goal, and while many of them predict he will emerge victorious this season, they have no intention of closing the throttle.

Looking ahead to his 2026 season, Bulega downplayed his advantage, and showed his commitment to approaching this season as he would any other; he said: “I think every season is different, it’s difficult to say now. For sure on paper, I know can be fast, and I hope to put my two years of experience together to try to make another step this year."

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