Nicolo Bulega explains why he wasn’t interested in standing in for injured Marc Marquez at Ducati

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World Superbikes rider Nicolo Bulega has explained why he wasn’t interested in filling in for Marc Marquez in MotoGP following the Spaniard’s injury from the Grand Prix of Indonesia.

Marquez tangled with Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap of the Grand Prix in Mandalika, resulting in a broken collarbone for the 32-year-old just one week after he secured his seventh MotoGP title at Motegi.

Many riders had shared their concerns about the gravel traps at the Indonesian circuit, which is what has been narrowed down as the root cause of Marquez’s injury during the race. It has led some to voice their desire for MotoGP to amend some of the gravel traps on certain circuits for next season.

As a result of Marquez being sidelined, Ducati had to signal to their reserve riders about filling in for the injury-stricken Spaniard. Michele Pirro was alerted to the prospect, as well as Nicolo Bulega, who wasn’t as keen to take the vacant seat.

Ducati have since confirmed that Pirro will be filling in for the sidelined Marquez at the upcoming round in Australia.

READ MORE: How Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega responded when asked if he’d be scared of racing Marc Marquez in MotoGP

Nicolo Bulega didn’t think a one-off opportunity in MotoGP would be ‘useful’ to him

The Italian is one of the Borgo Panigale-based team’s factory riders in World Superbikes, and is well within a shot of winning his first title in the category as he sits behind future Pramac MotoGP man, Toprak Razgatlioglu, in the riders’ standings.

However, the 25-year-old expressed his hesitancy at filling in for the stricken Marquez, due to the fact that he didn’t believe the opportunity would have benefited him.

During his media duties at the 11th round of the WSBK in Estoril, Bulega told journalists, via Motosan, “It would be a great opportunity, but at the same time, you have to understand the approach, as I don’t think a one-off presence would be useful to me.

“It would be another thing if I had the opportunity to spend more time on the bike. In that case, I could think about it. Compared to last year, I feel more prepared to use a bigger bike, as I’m now used to riding the SBK.

“But there are substantial differences that matter, such as the brakes and the downpipes, and the fact that the MotoGP bikes are faster.”

Having won 10 races so far for Ducati in WSBK, the man from Emilia-Romagna is currently facing a deficit of 36 points to Razgatlioglu.

Bulega narrowly missed out on a championship in the same category last season, finishing behind the Turkish rider despite competing in more races than him throughout the course of the year.

The opportunity of securing his first title in WSBK could have added to his unwillingness to switch focus to a series he has nothing to play for.

READ MORE: Nicolo Bulega told he only has to do one thing to land 2027 MotoGP seat after signing new Ducati deal

The differences between WSBK and MotoGP bikes have been noted ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu’s debut

After Razgatlioglu’s switch to MotoGP was confirmed in June, the differences between MotoGP and WSBK bikes have been under the spotlight in a debate over the competitiveness of the 28-year-old in his debut season.

WSBK rival Danilo Petrucci has warned Razgatlioglu that his current braking style will be difficult to use in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

The aggressive manoeuvres from the Turk are somewhat of a trademark for him, but he might have some respite in the following years.

Pirelli are replacing Michelin as MotoGP’s tyre supplier in 2027, to which Marco Melandri has tipped Razgatlioglu to cause problems on the grid once the change comes into effect.

The Italian tyre manufacturers currently supply the WSBK, and their re-entrance into MotoGP will mark the first time since 2016 that premier class bikes will be fitted with their rubber.