In a long summer break period, ongoing since July 12, the only official news in the Superbike rider market has been the contract renewal of Iker Lecuona with Ducati. Still in the official Borgo Panigale team, the world championship leader Nicolò Bulega, now very close to winning the title, is about to sign with VR46 in MotoGP, but the final announcement has not yet been made. Riders who stay and leave the category, but in recent weeks rumors have increased about other profiles that could seriously enter Superbike in 2027, even more so after the evolution of the rider market in the premier class of the MotoGP World Championship.
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Following a chronological order, from the most remote case to the most recent, the first is that of Alex Rins. Next year the Spaniard will no longer be a Yamaha team rider, due to the arrival of Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura in the team, and his career will hardly continue in MotoGP. Yet, the chances of moving to Superbike exist, as stated by the 30-year-old without going into details: “Regarding my future, honestly, I don’t know. I have opportunities in other championships, in WorldSBK, but maybe also in others. I still have to decide; I have to evaluate and think about it. Fortunately, I have options in WorldSBK, some good teams and, as I said, other championships that are quite interesting and that surprised me.”
Also to understand is the future in the premier class of Franco Morbidelli. Currently in VR46, with the team having signed Raul Fernandez for the next championship, the team seems now ready to welcome Nicolò Bulega after the spot left free by Fabio Di Giannantonio, who signed with KTM. Consequently, ‘Morbido’s’ future seems at risk: “We are talking about what we will do next year; we are talking with someone. We will try to close as soon as possible but nothing is defined yet”. A ‘someone’ who could be a Superbike team? On this matter, Morbidelli replied with a brief answer: “Yep”.
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Who instead seems definitely more open to moving to Superbike is the Australian Jack Miller. The Pramac rider is already certain that he does not want to continue his MotoGP experience in 2027, so much so that he has already admitted he seriously wants to consider Superbike: “I am considering options in WorldSBK, also trying to leverage 11 years of experience with Michelin tires. Hopefully, we will make it and we will see what we can do in a different way of racing, with different bikes, with a different format during the weekend but I can’t wait to start this challenge. We are not in a hurry to close tomorrow, the most important thing is to choose what I like the most. It has to suit me, considering my next years in my career and what kind of path I would like to take”.
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