Pata Maxus Yamaha will have extra motivation on home soil as the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship head towards Round 8 in the United Kingdom at Donington Park from 10-12 July, the series reaching its final stop before the summer break
Andrea Locatelli heads to Donington fresh from competing in the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours with Yamaha, where the Italian finished second with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. Last year, “Loka” was agonisingly close to the podium in both races at Donington Park and will be determined to go one better this time, backed by the passionate support of a knowledgeable British crowd.
Teammate Xavi Vierge returns to action after a two-week break during which the Spaniard has been hard at work alongside his crew – analysing the last few races together to arrive at Donington with a strong base and clear ambitions to keep moving forward. A new circuit for Vierge with the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, the #97 has shown throughout the season his ability to adapt quickly and will be looking to take another step.
This weekend also hosts the fifth and penultimate round of the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, before the season finale at Jerez in October. Beatriz Neila lands in exceptional form for Ampito Crescent Yamaha, having claimed back-to-back second-place finishes at Misano to maintain second in the championship – just 24 points behind the leader. Chloe Jones arrives just an hour from her home town of Daventry, representing Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha, and is highly-motivated to return to the rostrum in front of a partisan home crowd after her first podium of 2026 in Misano.
Track action begins on Friday with WorldWCR Free Practice at 9:40 BST and Superpole qualifying at 14:10, while WorldSBK will have two 45-minute sessions available with Free Practice 1 and 2 at 10:20 and 15:00 respectively.
Andrea Locatelli:
“Suzuka was a great experience again – this time a little more difficult because of the track conditions; it was raining for almost the entire race and we also had a lot of safety cars. Despite the rain, I think we managed it well and finished second – we were fast in every situation and condition, and that’s something we can take real confidence from. Now, back-to-back, we head to Donington, it’s an amazing track – and I’m also happy to be back working with my team for their home round. It will be an important race for me to arrive at the summer break with confidence to take into the last part of the season. I hope it will be a great weekend for us; I’ll try to enjoy it as much as possible and get the best possible results. Racing here is an extra motivation because it’s a home race for the team and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Xavi Vierge:
“I’m so excited to be back racing at Donington – a new track for me with the R1. It’s the home race for the team, which means extra motivation! I’m looking forward to getting back to work with my team; we worked hard in Misano and these couple of weeks off have given us time to analyse the last few races. We’ll start from a solid base that we already know and focus on extracting the maximum from it. Donington is the last race before the summer break, so it’s very important to have a strong weekend, keep improving and head into the break with good feelings.”
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