Yamaha Motor Europe has presented its new-look rider line-up for the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship as excitement and anticipation builds for the season opener at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia next month.
2026 brings a fresh new look to Yamaha’s roster of riders, with new additions to both the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team and GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
The new season marks the 11th year of collaboration between Pata Snack, Yamaha Motor Europe and Crescent Yamaha on the WorldSBK project, which has seen a multitude of success over the past decade including victory in the 2021 Rider, Team and Manufacturer World Championships.
Returning to front Yamaha’s charge is 2020 FIM Supersport World Champion Andrea Locatelli, who enters his sixth season with the Official Team. The Italian enjoyed one of his strongest WorldSBK seasons to date in 2025, achieving his maiden premier class race victory in Assen. The 29-year-old narrowly missed out on third in the overall standings last year, and heads into the new season hungry for further success.
Joining Locatelli at Pata Maxus Yamaha for 2026 is Xavi Vierge, wearing blue for the first time at the start of his fifth season in the WorldSBK Championship. The former Moto2 Grand Prix contender impressed in his initial outings on the R1 WorldSBK, ending the two post-season tests at Jerez as the fastest Yamaha rider. Keen to carry the momentum from these first tests into the new season, Vierge is determined to show his potential as racing gets underway.
2021 Moto2 World Champion Remy Gardner will remain with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team for a fourth season in 2026. The Australian has shown pace and promise aboard the R1, including two visits to the podium, but has been hampered by injury for the last two seasons. Fighting fit and ready to start the new season, Gardner has a clear target of adding to his rostrum tally in 2026.
GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK retains its distinction of running two World Champions in 2026, with reigning FIM Supersport World Champion Stefano Manzi graduating to the superbike class with the Italian team. Manzi, who dominated the 2025 WorldSSP season aboard the R9, has made a strong start to life as a superbike rider with competitive times in testing. The 26-year-old is keen to follow in the footsteps of Locatelli, who also graduated to the WorldSBK class with Yamaha as WorldSSP Champion.
Ahead of the final European test in Portimão this week, the covers have come off the R1 WorldSBK machines Locatelli, Vierge, Gardner and Manzi will campaign in 2026.
Pata Snack returns as the title sponsor of Yamaha’s Official WorldSBK squad for an 11th consecutive season – this unparalleled support making for one of the longest-standing partnerships in WorldSBK history. Pata’s distinctive logo not only features prominently on the bikes of the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team, but also the R1s campaigned by the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team. Pata’s valued partnership with Yamaha extends throughout the classes, with the Italian snack manufacturer also the title sponsor of the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate WorldSSP Supported Team, as well as featuring as the principal supporter of the FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup Champion Alessandro Di Persio in the all-new FIM Sportbike World Championship for 2026.
In a new multi-year agreement, DP World, a leading provider of global end-to-end supply chain solutions will join forces with Yamaha as the Official Logistics Partner of the Yamaha MotoGP, WorldSBK and WorldSSP teams. Through the agreement, DP World will support Yamaha’s racing programmes with integrated smart logistics solutions. DP World branding will feature prominently on the R1s of the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team, GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team, Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing WorldSSP Supported Team and the AS Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team.
MAXUS, the leading commercial vehicle brand distributed in the UK and Ireland, part of the Harris Group, returns with the Official Yamaha WorldSBK Team as co-title partner, creating the Pata Maxus Yamaha identity.
Independent effort Yamaha MotoXRacing will also return to the grid with two bikes with Bahattin Sofuoğlu remaining with Sandro Carusi’s team for a second season. The Turkish rider showed promise in his rookie campaign as he pushed towards the top ten, something both he and the team will be hoping to make a more regular occurrence in 2026. Sofuoğlu is joined at MotoXRacing by rookie Mattia Rato.
The Yamaha WorldSBK teams are on track at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for a final European pre-season test this week, before flying to Australia next month. Once ‘Down Under’, teams will undergo one final pre-season test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit (16-17 February) before the season opener gets underway from 20-22 February.
Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe, Motorsport, Division Manager
“We are incredibly excited to get started; there are a lot of changes coming into 2026, including in our rider line-ups, and it gives us a lot of cause to be hopeful for a strong racing year for Yamaha. In 2025, we feel we made a strong step as a result of the collaborative effort from our engineers, the wider YME Management team, our riders and our teams – which have been unwavering in the pursuit of victory. Over the winter, everyone has been working hard to take further steps in 2026, and with a renewed rider line-up we are confident ahead of the season’s start. None of this would be possible without our partners, and for an incredible 11th year we will enjoy the support of Pata Snack – support for which we are extremely grateful. The level of competition in WorldSBK is at a really high level, so we are looking forward to close, thrilling battles on track!”
Niccolò Canepa, Yamaha Motor Europe, Motorsport, Road Racing Sporting Manager
“In 2025 we fought for third in the championship until the very last race and while of course, our goal is to win, we believe that the results last year marked a clear step forward – especially for Locatelli. This gives us confidence and optimism ahead of the new season, as if we can continue to push and make further steps with the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK as a package, and our riders continue to progress, then more results will also come. In Locatelli and Gardner, we have two riders who know the R1 and our project inside out, this kind of consistency and continuation is vital in motorsport, but at the same time it is also nice to introduce ‘new blood’ and to pair the experience we have honed with the fresh perspectives of Vierge and Manzi, this is something I find really exciting. Racing in WorldSBK is never easy, but I am confident and hopeful ahead of the new season.”
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