Sam Lowes: Bulega one of the best I’ve seen, “deserves” MotoGP chance

Sam Lowes rates WorldSBK title leader Nicolo Bulega as among the best talents he has seen and “deserves a chance” in MotoGP.

Lowes was beginning his second Moto2 season when Bulega arrived on the grand prix scene as a Moto3 rider at VR46 - just before another high-profile rookie debut, by a certain Fabio Quartararo.

Both Bulega and Quartararo struggled to meet the huge expectations placed upon them.

The pieces later fell into place for Quartararo in Moto2, propelling the Frenchman on to MotoGP, where he won the 2021 world championship.

But Bulega’s breakthrough never came, managing a best Moto2 result of seventh before dropping out of the grand prix paddock and launching his own revival in World Supersport.

“Obviously, he had a lot of hype when he was younger, and I won't say lost his way, because that's not fair, but some things didn't quite fall into place for him,” said Sam Lowes, who fought for the Moto2 crown during Bulega’s tough 2019-2021 seasons.

“I think what you're seeing now is that he's always had that potential, and now he's full of confidence and riding the way that he can.”

Bulega was instantly competitive in his debut WSS campaign, then dominated the 2023 season.

Moving to WorldSBK with the official Ducati team, Bulega finished runner-up to BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu for the past two seasons.

With Razgatlioglu now in MotoGP, Bulega is currently on a record run of 16 consecutive victories.

Lowes agreed that fighting Razgatlioglu helped raise Bulega’s level in close-combat battles, but maintained “his potential was not shown in other classes.

“It's a very mental game, a very opportunistic game, and I think he's just showing now what he can do. Right place, right time, and deservedly so.

“I've been lucky to ride with a lot of people, and I put him in that top category.”

The top of motorcycle sport is MotoGP, which Lowes got a brief chance to experience in 2017.

Now all the talk is of whether Bulega, who stood in for Marc Marquez at the end of last season and has an 850cc testing role with Ducati, will seal a race seat for 2027.

“I do think the best people should be in the best class, so I think he deserves a chance,” Lowes said of Bulega moving to MotoGP.

“But he also raises the level of this championship, so in one way it would be nice for him to stay.”

Among Bulega’s best MotoGP options could be a return to VR46, the team which brought him into the grand prix paddock, should Fabio di Giannantonio be tempted by a rumoured factory KTM offer.

Lowes - who opened a new chapter in his own career with a move to WorldSBK in 2024 - is currently third in the WorldSBK standings, behind only the Aruba machines of Bulega and Iker Lecuona.