Nicolo Bulega’s lap time revealed on 850cc Ducati MotoGP debut
WorldSBK title leader made his 850cc Ducati MotoGP debut during a private test at Mugello.
Fresh from a record 16th WorldSBK victory in a row, Nicolo Bulega returned to Italy for a debut on Ducati’s 850cc MotoGP prototype at Mugello.
After replacing the injured Marc Marquez during the final MotoGP rounds of last season, Bulega signed to help develop the Ducati's 2027 machine alongside his WorldSBK commitments.
Official factory test rider Michele Pirro gave the 850cc a surprise debut during last month’s V2 Champ Academy test at Misano, then was back on the bike for the start of the private Mugello test (also attended by KTM and Honda):
Bulega then rushed back from Hungary to beat the forecast bad weather and make his 850cc debut on Monday.
GPOne.com reports that the 26-year-old set the pace with a best time of 1m 47.2s from 20 laps on the Pirelli-shod machine.
That lap time put Bulega 0.4s ahead of Pirro and 1.3s clear of Dani Pedrosa (KTM).
The official 1000cc/Michelin Mugello qualifying record is a 1m 44.169s, set by Marc Marquez last season.
The race lap record is 1m 45.770s by Pecco Bagnaia in 2024.
Bulega’s 2027 Ducati MotoGP race options appear to hinge on whether Fabio di Giannantonio renews with VR46, or signs for the factory KTM team.
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