After summer break away from racing, Pata Maxus Yamaha and the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship head to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for Round 9 of the season, from 4-6 September. It’s a circuit well known for a passionate local crowd and exciting race action, but also for its sometimes unpredictable weather.
Andrea Locatelli arrives in France full of motivation, having made the most of the break to “switch off” and focus on his training. Magny-Cours is a circuit where the Italian feels confident with his riding style and he already knows what it takes to reach the podium, making it an ideal place to re-start his season.
On the other side of the box, Xavi Vierge has also been hard at work over the break. Magny-Cours is yet another new circuit for the Spaniard aboard the R1, but the #97 has shown throughout the season that he can get up to speed very quickly, and he will be looking to do the same again from Friday.
Track action gets under way on Friday with Free Practice 1 at 10:30 CEST and Free Practice 2 at 15:00 CEST, while Sunday’s feature race has been brought forward to an earlier start time of 14:00 CEST.
Andrea Locatelli
“After a long break, we’re finally back on track – which is nice because this time way from racing has reset my mind, my focus and my target for the last part of the season, so I feel strong for the coming rounds. We know that it hasn’t been an easy season so far, but we have to keep working hard and improving. We arrive at Magny-Cours, which is a good track for us – we were flying there last year until the crash in Superpole – so I believe we can do a good job. I’m excited to be back racing and to try to achieve the best results we can until the end of the season!”
Xavi Vierge
“I’m really happy to be back racing after such a long summer break. Magny-Cours is a track I enjoy and I think it can suit us well. After almost two months away from the bike, the priority on Friday is to get back into a good feeling with my R1 as quickly as possible, adapt and build from there towards a strong weekend.”
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