Pata Maxus Yamaha, Xavi Vierge and Andrea Locatelli faced a challenging Sunday – but with many positives – to bring Round 8 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship to a close under a sunny and packed Donington Park.
The team’s home round delivered everything that makes Donington Park special – a packed circuit, incredible fan support and an atmosphere that underlined why this is one of the most beloved rounds on the WorldSBK calendar. Partners and guests joined the team trackside to experience it first-hand, and the weekend was completed by an unusually warm and sunny British summer’s day – a welcome bonus for everyone in attendance.
Vierge showed impressive consistency, fighting deep inside the Top 10 throughout the day. The Spaniard and his crew worked tirelessly across every session to extract the maximum from the R1 package, and it showed – starting from fifth on the grid thanks to his excellent qualifying lap on Saturday, he held his position in the 10-lap Superpole Race before being shuffled back in the last 2 laps to P8. In the afternoon’s 23-lap Race 2, Vierge made a strong start and delivered another determined ride to finish P9.
On the other side of the box, Andrea Locatelli faced an additional challenge this weekend, arriving at Donington Park straight from the demanding Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan. The Italian worked hard throughout the day to find his rhythm, recovering positions through the Superpole Race to finish P12 and continuing to push forward in Race 2 to cross the line in P11.
In the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, Beatriz Neila took a dramatic victory in Race 2 at Donington Park for Ampito Crescent Yamaha. The Spaniard stormed back from tenth on the grid to cross the line second, before being awarded the win after championship rival Maria Herrera was penalised for causing a crash. With the result, the title fight will now go down to the wire at Jerez. Chloe Jones rounded off a positive home weekend for Monster Energy Crescent Yamaha with P4 just missing out on the podium.
With the Donington round complete, WorldSBK heads into the summer break. Pata Maxus Yamaha will use the time to work hard and return in the best possible shape, with action resuming at Magny-Cours from 4-6 September.
FULL SUPERPOLE RACE RESULTS
FULL RACE TWO RESULTS
Xavi Vierge – SPRC: P8 / Race 2: P9
“A solid weekend overall – we’ve been working on the small details and made a step forward, especially at the start of Race 2 where we showed better speed than yesterday. The other riders also improved, so there is still a little gap to close to be fighting for higher positions, but this has been the first weekend in a while where we clearly showed our progress. It’s a good feeling to end the first part of the season this way, even if all of us in the team are looking for more. Now we have a long break to recharge and come back stronger for the final four rounds.”
Andrea Locatelli – SPRC: P12 / Race 2: P11
“Not an easy weekend, but I tried to give my best in every session. There are some encouraging signs – I managed to maintain the pace until the end and we were faster than my average lap time of last year, which is something to build on. We need to stay positive and analyse what has happened this weekend – I cannot be happy with these results and at least I need to be racing with Xavi for better positions. The summer break comes at a good time after a busy period, and while part of me would love to be back on the bike straight away, I’ll use the time well to rest and prepare. I’m determined to come back in the best possible shape for the final part of the season.”
Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Maxus Yamaha:
“An unusually hot Donington weekend – the British summer actually worked in our favour for once! Arriving straight from a tough but successful Suzuka 8 Hours made things hectic for Andrea, and he struggled to find the feeling and flow he needed to ride at his usual level. He ground out the best results he could, but he and the team know he should be fighting for better positions alongside Xavi. Our focus will be to learn the lessons from this weekend and give him a stronger package going into the final four rounds – all at circuits where he has had great success in the past.
Xavi had a very strong weekend. P5 in qualifying was a superb effort, and 10th, 8th and 9th across the three races showed real heart and speed – just rewards for a very solid effort. The championship is incredibly tight right now – we need better results but last year´s title winning machines were behind us with both their riders this weekend, which shows just how fine the margins are at this level. We head into the final third of the season with optimism that we can achieve better things, but especially on Xavi’s side of the team we saw some positive moments here at Donington.
Finally, a huge thank you to all our sponsors, guests and supporters who joined us at Donington Park. The atmosphere was fantastic and it is a real pleasure working with such loyal and engaged partners.”
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