Marco Bezzecchi
Carlos Checa has been left seriously impressed after comparing Nicolo Bulega’s WSBK lap times to Marc Marquez’s in MotoGP.
Bulega, 26, is currently racing in the Superbike World Championship for the Ducati factory team.
The Italian is currently on a 25-race win streak, leaving him levels above his rivals, which has attracted attention from MotoGP teams.
Ahead of the 2027 season, it is expected that Bulega will join the VR46 MotoGP team, where he will likely ride alongside Spaniard Fermin Aldeguer.
Which series will benefit more from Nicolo Bulega’s move: MotoGP or Superbikes?
Bulega has run away with this year's WSBK championship
Carlos Checa says Nicolo Bulega has ‘matured significantly’ ahead of MotoGP move
Speaking recently to Speedweek, former MotoGP and WSBK rider Checa touched on Bulega’s performances and the impact he can have when he joins VR46 next year.
The 53-year-old thinks Bulega is ‘perfectly suited’ to Ducati’s WSBK bike, which allowed him to embark on a stunning win streak.
Checa was also impressed by the fact that Bulega’s laps in a recent race are only one second slower than Marquez’s MotoGP qualifying times.
He said: “Ducati is heavily committed to the Superbike World Championship; their new bike is a second faster than last year’s model. The changes account for a one-second difference—something the competition cannot simply make up for overnight.
“Bulega has the most experience and the best team, and he is perfectly suited to the bike. Yet, even with those advantages, winning so many consecutive races—25 so far—is incredibly difficult. It shows that he is riding with a significant safety margin.”
How many podiums would Nicolo Bulega score as a rookie if he moves to MotoGP for 2027?
Bulega's pace at World Superbikes' Balaton Park round would have put him on the MotoGP Hungarian GP podium!
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Checa added: “Ducati has the best plan for next year. Bulega is fast and has matured significantly in terms of his mindset. He can handle his current position and provide the engineers with the best possible feedback, enabling them to choose the right direction.
“During the Superbike race at Aragon, he was only one second slower than Marc Marquez in qualifying—on a long track, riding a bike that was 11 kg heavier and equipped with steel brakes.
“He is certainly at the level required for MotoGP. If Ducati didn’t have fuel capacity limits, he would be even faster on the Superbike.”
It has been well documented that Bulega has been targeting a move to MotoGP for a long while, having been drafted in as Marquez’s replacement for the final two weekends of the 2025 season.
In addition, the 26-year-old has also been testing the 850cc bikes, which will be used from the 2027 campaign onwards.
Bulega’s recent test times have often outclassed the likes of Dani Pedrosa (KTM), Augusto Fernandez (Yamaha), and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia), further proving he is more than ready to race in MotoGP.
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