Nicolo Bulega suffers heavy Ducati 850cc MotoGP test crash at Mugello
Reports from Italy state Bulega crashed while testing Ducati’s 850cc MotoGP bike
World Superbike Championship leader Nicolo Bulega is reported to have escaped major injuries in a fast Ducati 850cc MotoGP test crash at Mugello this week.
The Italian has been a spearhead of Ducati’s development of its 2027 bike, as he gets set to make his full-time MotoGP debut next year with the VR46 squad.
Following a visit to the San Marino Grand Prix last weekend, Nicolo Bulega headed to Mugello for two days of testing this week on Ducati’s 850cc bike.
However, according to GPOne, Bulega suffered a violent highside crash at the Arrabbiata 2 section of the Mugello circuit.
The crash happened around midday on Wednesday, with Bulega taken to a nearby hospital for checks.
Those checks revealed no fractures, with Bulega now discharged and on his way home to recover.
Austria test appearance in doubt for Bulega as WorldSBK coronation looms
Bulega was due to be on track on Monday after the Austrian Grand Prix for the second in-season Pirelli tyre test on 850cc bikes.
But that seems unlikely now following his Mugello test crash, not least with the Cremona World Superbike round coming up next weekend.
Bulega has won all but one race so far in a 2026 WorldSBK season he has utterly dominated for Ducati, with a title coronation chance coming up at Cremona.
Following this testing scare, Ducati may wish to ensure Bulega wraps up the WorldSBK crown now before carrying out any more testing, especially with just three rounds to go in the 2026 campaign.
News of Bulega’s crash comes as Ducati’s 850cc bike is rumoured to already be emerging as an early favourite ahead of MotoGP’s rule change in 2027.
Bulega’s MotoGP testing deal with Ducati was always expected to lead him to a full-time seat in 2027 in grand prix racing.
But that opportunity looked like it may not come at all at one stage of the rider market, before Fabio Di Giannantonio’s factory KTM deal opened a pathway for Bulega.
Ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix, the VR46 team announced Bulega’s 2027 deal.
It’s something of a full-circle moment for Bulega, who began his grand prix racing career in Moto3 in 2016 with the VR46 team.
He would eventually sever ties with the VR46 Academy as he struggled during his time in Moto2, before rebuilding his career in the World Superbike paddock.
