Yamaha Motor Europe is pleased to announce Xavi Vierge will join the official Yamaha team in the FIM Superbike World Championship for the 2026 season.
The 28-year-old brings a wealth of experience to Yamaha’s WorldSBK project, having competed in both the Moto2 Grand Prix World Championship and Superbike World Championship, achieving podium finishes in both categories.
Vierge will get a first taste of the R1 WorldSBK in Jerez following the final round of the 2025 season next month.
The announcement completes Yamaha’s new-look line-up for the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship, with Vierge joining Andrea Locatelli in the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team while Remy Gardner and new-signing Stefano Manzi will ride for the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Xavi Vierge that will see him join the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team for 2026. He brings a lot of experience to our project, both from within Superbike and his time in Grand Prix racing. We are excited to see what he can achieve and look forward to starting our journey together. Through the winter, we will continue to work hard on developing the R1 and with Vierge joining Locatelli at Pata Maxus Yamaha and Manzi moving up from Supersport to join Gardner at GYTR GRT Yamaha, we have four young and hungry riders on the bike next year which is an exciting prospect.”
Posted on September 28, 2025 by Michael Le Pard
