Aruba Racing has announced Adrian Huertas will replace WorldSBK-bound Nicolo Bulega on its Ducati Panigale V2 for the 2024 WorldSSP Championship.

The Spaniard has emerged as one of the standouts in this year’s WorldSSP on the ageing Kawasaki ZX-6R package he races with the same MTM Racing squad he clinched the 2021 WorldSSP 300 Championship title with.

Despite a last ditch attempt from Kawasaki to entice him to stay by offering up a test on its WorldSBK-spec factory ZX-10RR at Aragon recently, the 20-year old has instead chosen to team up with Aruba Racing to replace current WorldSSP leader Bulega.

“I am really happy to have reached this agreement. Racing for the Aruba.it Racing team is a big privilege for me. I have a goal: to be the first rider to win the World Championship in all three categories. 

“I have already succeeded in World Supersport 300, and I believe that the Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP team is definitely the best choice to continue believing in this goal. 

“Becoming a Ducati rider is also a dream coming true for me. Since I was a child, I have always supported Ducati and now I will have the chance to race with the Panigale V2.”

Despite missing four races at the start of the season after sustaining injuries in a collision with Yari Montella at Phillip Island, Huertas has since ascended to 11th in the standings as the highest-placed Kawasaki rider after nine events following a run of five top six results in the last eight races.

Bulega, who leads the overall standings by 60 points after nine wins so far this season, will graduate to WorldSBK in 2024 to race alongside Alvaro Bautista in the Aruba Ducati team.