‘Decisive week’ as Yamaha MotoGP rider closes on Ducati WorldSBK seat

Alex Rins is reportedly close to reaching a deal to race for GoEleven Ducati in WorldSBK next year.

Rins, a MotoGP race winner for Suzuki and Honda, will leave the factory Yamaha team at the end of this season after the Iwata manufacturer settled on an all-new Jorge Martin-Ai Ogura line-up for 2027.

Rins, like Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli, now looks destined to switch to WorldSBK, where the MotoGP riders will also hope to capitalise on their Michelin-tyre experience as the French company swaps with Pirelli.

Binder is rumoured to be joining BMW, Miller has been linked with a seat at Yamaha and VR46’s Morbidelli could trade places with WorldSBK champion-elect Nicolo Bulega at Aruba.it Ducati.

GPOne.com reports that Rins also has his sights set on securing a Panigale V4, this year's dominant machine, via the GoEleven team.

Riccardo Guglielmetti writes that “both sides appear to be cautiously optimistic about a successful outcome” with this week “shaping up to be decisive for Alex Rins’ move to Go Eleven in 2027.”

Rather than replace Lorenzo Baldassarri, it appears Rins could join the Italian on a new second GoEleven entry.

Rins starts this weekend’s Aragon MotoGP just 20th in the world championship, with a best finish of ninth on Yamaha’s struggling new V4.

Factory team-mate Fabio Quartararo is the leading Yamaha rider, in 14th. The Frenchman will switch to Honda for the new 850cc/Pirelli era.

Triple WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu will be the only Yamaha MotoGP rider staying put for 2027, with Izan Guevara set to replace team-mate Miller at Pramac.