Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP and World Superbikes have had numerous crossovers in 2025, with more being rumoured to happen for next season.
The two categories’ tyre suppliers will swap over from 2027, with Pirelli heading to MotoGP and Michelin to WSBK. There has also been some movement in the MotoGP rider market that has aroused speculation of transfers between the sports.
Toprak Razgatlioglu has signed for Pramac in 2026, with the reigning WSBK champion finally moving over to the premier class. 2025 championship leader Nicolo Bulega had been linked with Aprilia, but has since signed a new contract with Ducati.
With Razgatlioglu joining Yamaha in MotoGP, Jack Miller has been linked with a move to WSBK with Honda, who have offered a three-year deal to the Aussie. He is out of contract at Pramac in 2025 as the team assesses what to do with him and Miguel Oliveira for 2026.
But it is not just Miller who has been linked with a move across categories, as Lorenzo Savadori’s manager Alberto Vergani has ‘heard rumours’ about several riders and a possible switch to WSBK.
Alberto Vergani has ‘heard rumours that Luca Marini could now join WSBK
Speaking with Mowmag, Vergani discussed rumours about Miller, teammate Oliveira, Honda rider Luca Marini and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio being linked with World Superbikes.
Marini is out of contract with Honda in 2025. The Italian’s future is uncertain, especially after his serious accident while testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour race, but Vergani has stressed that it is just ‘chatter’ for now.
“They are choices, but it is still a risk. Then, for goodness sake, everything is a risk,” he said.
“I have also heard the rumours about Jack Miller, Miguel Oliveira, Luca Marini or even Fabio Di Giannantonio, but I think that for now it can still all be filed under ‘chatter’ or ‘timid wins’.
“I would say that a MotoGP rider, if he can, tends to stay in MotoGP, even if we can discuss the opportunity of having a bike that doesn’t win in MotoGP compared to a super competitive bike in Superbike. It will take a bit of time.
“But today the level of Superbike is very high: a few years ago there were three or four riders in front and then there was a large group that took sideral gaps. Today the gaps are super tight, even though there are two riders who make the difference and go faster than anyone else.
“When the level is that high, no one has the victory in their pocket, not even if it comes from the MotoGP.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Luca Marini from his net worth to half-brother
Marc Marquez has a ‘very respectful’ relationship with Luca Marini
Marini hopes to return to Honda as soon as possible following his crash, as he hopes to keep his MotoGP career alive. Honda are targeting Jorge Martin if he can find a way out of Aprilia, putting the Italian’s seat at risk.
A move to WSBK could be a lucrative one, but it would no doubt be a shame for some MotoGP riders to see him lose his spot on the grid in 2026. Despite his ties to Honda and his fierce rival Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez has a ‘very respectful’ relationship with Marini.
The Ducati rider told AS after he signed with Honda from VR46: “You have to differentiate things.
“And in the end with Luca Marini I have always had a very respectful, very cordial relationship. We have gotten along well and we have talked.”
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
