NICOLÒ BUGLEGA SAYS TOPRAK RAZGATLIOĞLU WOULD STRUGGLE TO WIN WSBK ON DUCATI

Nicolo Bulega has been setting the pace in World Superbikes in 2026, but his thoughts have still often drifted back to the rider he used to battle most closely: Toprak Razgatlioglu. Speaking after a clean sweep at Magny-Cours, the Italian said he learned a lot from the former WSBK rival, describing Razgatlioglu as “a great rider.”

Bulega’s comments came as a reminder of how Razgatlioglu’s 2025 campaign ended at the top. That year, the BMW rider beat Bulega by 13 points after pushing the title fight all the way to the final round. Razgatlioglu then moved to MotoGP in 2026 with Pramac Yamaha, leaving Bulega to dominate the WSBK field without him on the grid.

Even with the gap between them now widened, Bulega believes Razgatlioglu would have found it difficult to reproduce that kind of success on a Ducati. Bulega argued that the 2026 machine represents a major step forward compared to the previous specification. He said: “Last year we had a bike that wasn’t as old but not as new as this one either. This is a huge step forward, and I think it would have been a bit more difficult for him to win the championship with this bike.”

Bulega also framed his own perspective around the battles he used to have with Razgatlioglu, adding: “When I win, I think about the battles with him.”

On the performance side, Bulega’s 2026 form has been overwhelming. He has won all but one race, with his only non-win coming as a second-place finish. His closest challenger within the Ducati camp, teammate Iker Lecuona, has reportedly finished second 22 times behind him, underlining just how consistently Bulega has been able to convert pace into results.

With his own future now firmly focused on MotoGP, Bulega is preparing for the 2027 transition to the VR46 team and the new 850cc regulations. He has been extensively testing the new bike ahead of the move, and he also addressed how his riding style may translate to the prototypes.

Bulega said he has not yet fully “solved the problem of riding the Ducati MotoGP yet,” but he believes the characteristics of the 2027 machines should suit him. He pointed to a contrast between his approach and Razgatlioglu’s: “Toprak and I have very different riding styles. Toprak is a rider who brakes very hard and then stops mid-corner, while I have more speed mid-corner.”

According to Bulega, that mid-corner speed emphasis aligns with what MotoGP demands under the current aerodynamic direction. He added: “I think that today in MotoGP, with this aerodynamics, you need to be fast in that phase.”

While he stopped short of calling the switch effortless—“I’m not saying it will be easy with the Pirellis”—Bulega expressed confidence that his style will adapt. “If I’m in MotoGP next year, I’m not saying it will be easy with the Pirellis, but my riding style will adapt very well to the prototypes,” he said.