Marco Bezzecchi
Off the back of an intense title fight in World Superbikes against Toprak Razgatlioglu, Nicolo Bulega has outlined how the Turkish rider’s move to MotoGP for the 2026 season has altered his future career plans.
Razgatlioglu was motivated by his father’s MotoGP dream during his decision to swap World Superbikes for MotoGP in 2026.
After winning three titles in the premier class of the production motorcycle racing category, Grand Prix racing was the natural step up.
Jack Miller will partner with Razgatlioglu at Pramac during his maiden campaign in MotoGP, and the pair have been highly complimentary of each other before helmets are donned and they become on-track rivals.
READ MORE: Nicolo Bulega tells Toprak Razgatlioglu that he’s in for a surprise when he tests Yamaha MotoGP bike
Nicolo Bulega is eyeing a MotoGP move in 2027 after seeing Toprak Razgatlioglu swap from World Superbikes
Bulega is making his MotoGP debut this weekend in place of the injury-stricken Marc Marquez at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
After the reins of Marquez’s GP25 were taken over by Michele Pirro for the first two rounds of his absence, duties have now fallen to the Ducati World Superbikes star instead.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia during his Thursday afternoon media obligations, the Italian rider disclosed how his future career plans have changed after seeing his WSBK rival make the change to Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
He said, “When I went into Supersport, my idea was to become a top rider in Superbike, and maybe year after year gain experience and become a top rider in Superbike.
“But last year, when I started doing Superbike, I won the first race, and so I fought for the championship my first year.
“This year, the second year, I fought until the last race with Toprak, and they were two incredible seasons, for being my first two years in Superbike.
“So, when I saw Toprak going to MotoGP, and then I saw that in 2027 there will be the Pirellis, I thought, ‘I’m here now fighting with Toprak, he’s going to MotoGP.’
“In 2027, there will be Pirellis, so my idea changed a bit, so yes, I’d especially like it in 2027 when the bikes will maybe be a bit easier and a bit more similar also to Superbikes.”
Nicolo Bulega has sought advice from Francesco Bagnaia, despite his blunt reply about asking Marc Marquez for help
Despite also being the most dominant bike on the grid, thanks to the results of Marquez, it is no secret that the GP25 is a tough cookie to crack.
Francesco Bagnaia has struggled immensely with his adaptation from the GP24 to the current spec of Ducati’s factory bike, and Bulega has detailed how he has sought advice from his compatriot in order for him to have the best possible opportunity of securing a points finish on his premier class debut.
In his chat with journalists in Portimao, the Italian said, “I’m very happy to have Pecco as a teammate, because yesterday I talked his ear off, I asked him 200,000 things.
“But, one thing is theory, and another thing is when you get on and you have to do the things, it’s not really the same thing, but yes, I’m happy to have him.
“When we were little, we were very close, and then when I left the Academy, we kind of lost touch, but recently we had already kind of gotten close again, and so I’m happy that he’s there, that I know that anyway if I need something, I can go ask him right away.”
The change in attitude with Bagnaia is of stark contrast to how Bulega reacted to being asked if he had spoken to Marquez.
The 26-year-old gave a blunt ‘no’ to the question he was posed by journalists on the eve of his debut, potentially hinting at some sort of friction between the two Ducati stars in their respective categories.
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