is apparently chasing Bautista’ s seat at Barni Spark Ducati. Whilst not a factory ride, the Barni Spark seat could be a step in the right direction for Vierge as the Ducati is currently a more effective weapon than the Yamaha. Danilo Petrucci and WorldSBK BMW Motorrad have agreed to part ways – ex-MotoGP KTM man Brad Binder will replace him- and, whilst Petrux has indicated he’ d like to continue an association with the series, it might be in a non-riding role, although Petrux replacing Bautista is an outside possibility. Miguel Oliveira is already confirmed to remain with the German brand in 2027. Focusing on the faster members of the pack who will stay with their current teams for 2027, we know that Bimota is retaining Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani, MarcVDS is sticking with Sam Lowes, Barni Spark is, unsurprisingly, keeping Yari Montella, while Puccetti Kawasaki will keep Garrett Gerloff and Yamaha will continue with Locatelli, Gardner and Manzi with Miller being the only new face.
SUPERPOLE Enough about musical chairs, let’ s focus on Magny-Cours, Round 9. A poor performance in
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