Why Aprilia should target Ducati’s overlooked Superbike superstar for MotoGP 2027

The 2027 MotoGP grid continues to take shape, albeit through the lens of intense paddock speculation as official announcements remain locked as discussions between the brands and the championship over a new financial deal stutter along.

Amid April’s enforced break due to the war in Iran postponing the Qatar Grand Prix, most seats look to have someone already assigned to them. But there remain stings in the tail.

Yamaha appears to have delivered the latest on the grid, after reports emerged from Motorsport’s Spanish edition last weekend that the Japanese marque has made a sensational play to bring Ai Ogura into its fold. Once a seat that looked like it would belong to Pecco Bagnaia, before changing hands to his VR46 Academy stablemate Luca Marini, 2024 Moto2 champion Ogura has finally secured it.

The ramifications for Yamaha are that it looks to be walking away from a rider market it entered with little to offer but faith in its V4 project, and a considerable pay packet, in incredibly good shape.

For 2027, the Iwata-based brand is set to field 2024 MotoGP champion Jorge Martin. Where initially this move looked like something of a last resort for the Spaniard after his troubled 2025, his rapid resurgence early this season has made this look like a stronger deal.

It will surely benefit from the Pirelli knowledge Toprak Razgatlioglu owns from his World Superbike days, as the Pramac rider helps spearhead 2027 bike development. To boot, if he adapts better to the more familiar rubber and Yamaha builds a competitive package, his speed is unquestionable. Alongside him could be current Moto2 frontrunner Izan Guevara, while Ogura brings speed and a significant impetus for Yamaha: it will not want to fail Japan’s first genuine MotoGP hotshot in years by underdelivering.

To expect sudden success in 2027 would be unfair, given the current status of the V4 project. But longer-term, Yamaha is steadying a ship rocked hideously by declining results and the loss of 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo to Honda.

With that, all but KTM looks to have its factory rosters sorted. Ducati is set to field Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez; Honda is reported to be pairing Quartararo and David Alonso; Aprilia will have Marco Bezzecchi and Pecco Bagnaia; Yamaha will have Martin and Ogura. KTM should have Alex Marquez on its books, but the identity of his team-mate remains unclear. Maverick Vinales looked a shoo-in, but that decision has been delayed amid a slow start to the 2026 season.

Even most satellite teams look to be sorted. But the Ogura news has shone the spotlight on Trackhouse, who could be facing a totally refreshed line-up for the 2027 campaign.

Nicolo Bulega sets his sights on Trackhouse

The American squad boasts a status as a race winner in MotoGP, as well as having close ties to the factory that is currently fielding the best bike on the grid. Aprilia’s start to the 2026 season has seen it dominate all three grands prix run so far, while Trackhouse made it to the podium in Thailand and came close at COTA but for a technical issue cruelly robbing Ogura.

It’s too early to say that Aprilia is well on its way to the world title, but Bezzecchi has gone unbeaten in the last five grands prix, while Martin is a genuine championship contender now.

At this stage of negotiations for 2027, Trackhouse has a strong hand to play. Ogura’s departure surely offers Raul Fernandez a greater opportunity of staying with the team, having previously been uncertain despite winning in Australia late last season.

If that is the case, it also has a seat free it wasn’t expecting to need filled. And there is a rider currently rocking World Superbikes for a brand that looked to be lining him up for a MotoGP step in 2027, only to seemingly freeze him out.

Nicolo Bulega was expected to be title favourite in WorldSBK this season on a dominant Ducati and in lieu of rivalry from last year’s champion Razgatlioglu. After his debut with Ducati in MotoGP late last season in Portugal and Valencia as Marc Marquez’s replacement, in which he scored on both occasions, plans appeared to be in motion for a 2027 full-time debut.

Bulega has been signed as a test rider for Ducati’s MotoGP project this year with a view to 850cc development on Pirelli rubber. It seemed likely this would see him end up at one of Ducati’s satellite structures.

However, if current reports are to be believed, those options are gone. VR46 is set to welcome Fermin Aldeguer alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio, whose case for a new deal has been strengthened by being Ducati’s leading rider at the start of 2026. Gresini could have an opening, but Enea Bastianini’s name appears to be top of Nadia Padovani’s list to join Dani Holgado next year.

These things could, of course, change. But Bulega’s manager has already suggested that his options are limited, and no offers of any kind have been tabled.

But Bulega comes with a lot of attributes that Aprilia could really benefit from. Firstly, his speed. He’s gone six for six at the start of the 2026 WorldSBK season and looks harder to beat with every passing race. Then there is the Pirelli factor. Bulega openly admitted to struggling to get to grips with the Michelins last year in his brief MotoGP outing. But the Pirellis work in a completely different way that a rider like Bulega will be able to adapt to far quicker than the rest of the MotoGP grid.

Unlocking the secrets of a tyre is a major key to success in a single-supplier championship. Ducati proved this in 2024 when Michelin introduced its altered rear tyre construction.

While it was in Moto2 and two years ago, Aprilia is losing some of useful Pirelli knowledge with Ogura heading out the door, and now certain to be iced out of any 2027 RS-GP development.

From a Trackhouse perspective, bringing Bulega into its fold would represent a significant attraction for sponsors, not least if he comes to MotoGP as reigning World Superbike champion. And from Aprilia’s, snatching up someone Ducati clearly rates will scratch something of an egotistical itch.

Italian media have begun reporting Bulega and his management are eyeing Trackhouse as their best way onto the MotoGP grid. It would be a great option from his side, even if it would more than likely means his Ducati test plans become restricted. The Italian marque debuted its 850cc challenger for the first time earlier this week at Misano in a private test with Michele Pirro. Bulega was initially set for a June debut on the bike in reports over the winter. However, Ducati now plans to put him on the 850cc bike in early May.

How Bulega's own MotoGP ambitions relative to Ducati's hopes in keeping him in World Superbikes affect its test programme remains to be seen. Should talks with Trackhouse advance, Bulega may well have 850cc Ducati bike time to use as a bargaining chip. That would ultimately cause a big headache for Ducati, who would lose a significant development asset to a manufacturer already causing it major problems in the final season of the current regulations.

What could stand in Bulega’s way at Trackhouse

It’s hard to imagine Trackhouse team boss Davide Brivio not taking an interest in Bulega, nor Aprilia behind-the-scenes urging him to do the same. Brivio will be well aware of the upsides the Italian would bring to Trackhouse, and to Aprilia at large. Brivio also has a history of offering fast riders an opportunity to prove themselves in MotoGP: Maverick Vinales, Alex Rins, Joan Mir and Ogura can attest to that.

Trackhouse has always shied away from the Aprilia junior team tag. While there will always have to be a bit of give and take for a satellite structure in this regard, Trackhouse wants talent that can bring it results. And a potential future WorldSBK champion fits that bill.

Bulega also falls into the camp of a rider Brivio could consider as deserving a second chance. Bulega couldn’t find success in grand prix racing and rebuilt his profile in the WorldSBK paddock. He’s done the hard yards and proved last year with Ducati in the final two MotoGP rounds that he deserves a chance.

That said, 2020 world champion Joan Mir has been linked to a Trackhouse move. Mir’s time at Honda has been brutal, though the Spaniard has to take the blame for a chunk of that, given his unacceptable crash rate. Mir’s speed hasn’t been in question, though, and given what Mir and Brivio did together at Suzuki after just two years together suggests it’s a partnership that, if rekindled, could yield big rewards for both parties.

Brivio’s ties to Valentino Rossi could also open the door to Luca Marini, who was set to get the Yamaha seat that’s gone to Ogura, finding a new home at Trackhouse.

But Brivio is also a bit unpredictable. His Ogura signing in 2024 came as a surprise. And there are some strong Moto2 contenders out there who he may feel could make it big in MotoGP. One of those names is Manu Gonzalez, who already sampled the team’s machinery at the Aragon test last summer.

Senna Agius is another name that continues to impress in Moto2, and with MotoGP’s major street circuit debut in Adelaide set for next year, there is a lot going for him away from on-track results that could help his case.

All of the above also applies to Raul Fernandez’s currently unconfirmed place at Trackhouse. Aprilia may be keen for Trackhouse to keep him around to provide some continuity heading into a new rules cycle. However, that didn’t exactly prove the case last season when Fernandez wholly underwhelmed when he was expected to be an early leader for Aprilia.

Bulega’s case to join Trackhouse and Aprilia is strong. But his is not the only one. If Trackhouse wants a fully clean slate for 2027, it would be foolish not to give one of those places to Bulega. If Fernandez stays put and only one opportunity presents itself, it’s still difficult to look past Bulega as the best option.