Official: Nicolo Bulega joins factory Ducati team for 2024 WorldSBK season

After the bombshell news that Jonathan Rea will leave Kawasaki to join Yamaha for next season, Ducati have also confirmed their factory team plans with the addition of Bulega.

Leader of the WorldSSP series, Bulega has been mightily impressive throughout the 2024 season and as a result had been the favourite to replace Rinaldi for some time.

• Official: Jonathan Rea leaves Kawasaki to join Yamaha 
• Ducati confirm Andrea Iannone to WorldSBK in 2024

With Rinaldi now set to leave Ducati altogether, Bulega’s addition to the factory team alongside Bautista means Barni, Motocorsa and GoEleven are the only Ducati-run teams left to announce their plans - Danilo Petrucci is expected to stay at Barni, as is Axel Bassani at Motocorsa while Andrea Iannone will likely be joining GoEleven.

"I want to be honest: this is a dream come true," said Bulega. "Racing for an official team is the desire of every rider. 

"Therefore, before I talk about my emotions and expectations, I want to thank Ducati and Aruba.it Racing. And I am also extremely grateful for the opportunity I was given already last season by Aruba.it and Feel Racing and especially by Stefano Cecconi, Serafino Foti and Daniele Casolari. 

"They chose me to ride a fantastic Ducati Panigale V2, on which I felt immediately comfortable. 

"I know how important this opportunity is and I will always give my best to improve myself, day after day, with the only goal of getting the best possible results. 

"I say it again: thank you for the trust. Thinking about the history of this team, where great champions have always raced, I feel proud to be able to defend the same colours. 

"Also, I am very happy to be able to share the box with Alvaro Bautista. Having him as a teammate will be a big plus: I will try to absorb every information I can learn from him."

Gigi Dall’Igna, who confirmed during the Catalan MotoGP that Iannone would be returning to Ducati, also gave his thoughts on the signing of Bulega.

"We are pleased to welcome Nicolo Bulega to the official Superbike team," added Dall’igna. "Since last season, Nicolo has been able to give us immense delight. 

"He is a very talented rider, and his experience, despite his young age, could be a determining factor in facing this fascinating and demanding challenge. 

"During the test held with the Ducati Panigale V4 R machine, he has shown that he has the potential to compete with the best riders in WorldSBK, and sharing the garage with Alvaro Bautista will only help him grow. 

"However, it will be important for him to stay focused on his WorldSSP season. The Aruba.it Racing team had the merit last year to think about Bulega and involve him in a completely new project that Ducati cares so much about. 

"We hope he can wrap up his last season in Supersport in the best possible way."