SBK, Bulega-Bautista: the earlier they sign, if they sign, the quicker they test the new Ducati

The countdown has begun. As anticipated last week, on Monday, April 7, immediately after the CIV round at Misano, Michele Pirro will debut the new Ducati V4 at the Riviera track.

For the Apulian test rider, it will be an opportunity to grind out the first kilometers with the latest-spec Rossa, which we will then see at the start of World Superbike in 2026.

Of course, the riders are also itching to try out the new bike, but they are aware, however, of one constraint: before getting on the Panigale V4, they will need to have signed the contract for the coming year. In fact, this is the request made by the manufacturer to give the green light.

While waiting to find out the names of the riders, they are working hard at Borgo Panigale, because the goal is to have the riders test the new bike as early as mid-season, that is, in the summer. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that by August, if they renew, Nicolò Bulega and Alvaro Bautista could be doing their first laps on the track with the latest-spec bike.

There is a lot of curiosity surrounding the new Panigale, as is the anticipation about a bike that is set to write a new chapter in Ducati's history.