– Enea Bastianini is getting a new sporting home for the 2027 MotoGP season: The 28-year-old Italian, currently racing for Tech3-KTM, is joining Trackhouse-Aprilia and will initially fulfill a two-year contract there.
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With this, the US-American team will rely on a driver duo of Bastianini and Raul Fernandez, who recently extended his contract until the end of 2028.
For Bastianini, the move also means the next step in an already eventful MotoGP career. After stints with Ducati and KTM, the Italian is now moving to Aprilia’s Trackhouse project. It was already known at the beginning of July that KTM had not exercised the option to extend his contract for 2027, thus clearing the way for the Italian to join Trackhouse.
Bastianini brings plenty of experience
“I am extremely excited to join the Trackhouse team for the next two MotoGP championships,” Bastianini explains in the announcement of the contract signing.
The timing is particularly interesting because 2027 marks the beginning of a completely new technical era in MotoGP. The displacement will be reduced from the current 1000 to 850 cubic centimeters, aerodynamics will be restricted, and the previously used Michelin tires will be replaced by Pirelli tires. Additional changes include the ban on ride-height and holeshot systems.
Bastianini sees a special challenge precisely in this. “We are entering a new era with a new motorcycle, new tires, and new rules,” says the Italian. He therefore wants to bring his experience and fighting spirit into the project to further develop the new Aprilia RS-GP together with Trackhouse.
From Red Bull Rookies Cup to MotoGP winner
Bastianini’s path to the premier class began early. After initial successes in the Italian mini-bike and junior categories, he entered the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2013. With two wins, he immediately finished fourth overall and moved up to the Moto3 World Championship the following year.
Photo series: The career highlights of Enea Bastianini
In his first World Championship season, Bastianini collected three podiums and numerous top-10 results, earning him ninth place overall. In 2015, he took the next step and finished third in the World Championship, before fighting for the title again in 2016 and ending the season in second place.
In 2019, he moved up to Moto2. There, Bastianini did not take long to adapt to the new class. In 2020, he won the World Championship and thus definitively recommended himself for MotoGP. He made his debut in the premier class in 2021.
Already in his first season, he achieved two third places, each in San Marino and at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Misano. A year later, the breakthrough followed.
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Bastianini quickly became a winner in MotoGP
In 2022, Bastianini started furiously. At the season opener in Qatar, he celebrated his first MotoGP victory. Further successes followed in the USA, France, and Aragon. At the end of the season, the Italian stood third in the World Championship with four Grand Prix wins.
Known as “La Bestia,” Bastianini was finally considered one of the fastest riders in the field. An early injury slowed him down in 2023, ironically in the year he moved up to the Ducati factory team. However, he made an impressive comeback in 2024 and was involved in the title fight for large parts of the season.
Nine Grand Prix podiums were recorded at the end of the season, including two wins. There was also a victory in a sprint race. In the overall standings, Bastianini finished fourth. It was thus his last season so far in which the Italian was regularly able to fight for top positions.
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The big breakthrough, however, did not come at KTM. Bastianini collected podiums and sprint successes there but was unable to win a Grand Prix. With the move to Trackhouse and Aprilia, he now has the chance to realign his MotoGP career with a new technical project.
Trackhouse relies on Bastianini and Fernandez
Trackhouse itself has high expectations with the signing. Team owner Justin Marks describes Bastianini as an important reinforcement for the next development phase. “It is a very exciting moment for the team to win someone like Enea for our Aprilias,” says Marks happily.
Above all, his “racing pedigree,” his MotoGP wins, and his experience at the highest level are, in his view, the ideal combination for a team that, according to the Trackhouse boss, is “on the verge of something big.”
Bastianini also convinced off the track. Marks highlights his infectious personality, his enthusiasm for joining the new team, his humility, and his positive attitude. Trackhouse wants to “chase trophies and create unforgettable moments” in the coming years with Bastianini, Fernandez, as well as the team’s staff and partners.
Joint start into the new MotoGP era
Bastianini himself admits: “It will be a real new challenge for me.” At the same time, he emphasizes that Trackhouse already made a significant development step in 2026 and became a title contender. “Of course, I will give everything to keep us at the top,” promises the newcomer.
How competitive the new combination of Bastianini, Trackhouse, and Aprilia will actually be will likely be seen for the first time at the Valencia test after the end of the 2026 season. Then, for “La Bestia,” not only a new chapter of his own career begins but also a completely new MotoGP generation.
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