SKY Racing Team VR46 confirm 2019 Moto2™ and Moto3™ lineups

Bulega and Celestino Vietti Ramus will join Marini and Foggia in the intermediate and lightweight classes

More pieces of the Moto2™ and Moto3™ puzzle have been put into place after SKY Racing Team VR46 announced their rider lineups in both classes for next season.

Moving up the ranks and into the intermediate class is VR46 Academy rider Nicolo Bulega as he replaces MotoGP™-bound Francesco Bagnaia. The Italian will partner compatriot Luca Marini in 2019 after spending three years in the Moto3™ class, with the latter remaining in the Moto2™ setup next season after a successful 2018.

Filling the seat left by Bulega will be current SKY Junior Team VR46 Riders Academy and FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship rider Celestino Vietti Ramus. The young Italian managed to secure a third place finish at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this season and will progress into the lightweight class ranks at the end of the year, lining up alongside Dennis Foggia on KTM machinery in 2019.

Nicolo Bulega: “After three years in Moto3™, I feel ready to embark on this new adventure. I will give the best of myself because I am very motivated, and I am very happy to have the Sky Racing Team VR46 at my side for this key moment in my career. I will continue to stay focused on this season, but it's true that I'm looking forward to getting on my new bike.”

Celestino Vietti Ramus: “It’s any young riders dream to receive this kind of support for his arrival in the World Championship. In the space of two seasons in the Junior Team, I grew up, I gained competence and professionalism. The time has come to make this jump to launch a new challenge with Sky and VR46 Academy. I am very happy. I know I will have to make a lot of effort because work is waiting for me. But it's a great opportunity.”

Pablo Nieto - Team Manager: “Thanks to Francesco, we have reached our goal and for the first time ever, one of our riders will enter MotoGP™ next season with a package that is so powerful. Together, we have achieved great things and we must be proud of it, but we must also move forward by continuing to support young Italians with the same professionalism and passion. We need to stay motivated and keep the sense of detail. To give new life to our project, we decided to line up two rookies alongside the confirmed Luca Marini and Dennis Foggia. On the one hand, Nicolo will make his Moto2™ debut on a motorcycle that should be better suited to his size and should allow him to express his full potential. Expectations are great. Celestino will join our Moto3™ structure after two years in the Junior Team. He is young, but ultra motivated and ready to make the jump. From a purely technical point of view, we played the card of stability by deciding to prolong with KTM in Moto3™ and Kalex in Moto2™.”