Canepa’s Comments – Estoril & Jerez

Yamaha extended their record as the most successful manufacturer in the FIM Supersport World Championship as the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship concluded with back-to-back rounds at Estoril, Portugal, and Jerez, Spain, over the past two weeks.

Yamaha celebrated a ‘triple crown’ in the FIM Supersport World Championship, claiming the riders’, manufacturers’ and teams’ titles. Albert Arenas was crowned World Champion in Race 1 at Estoril after a remarkable season, Yamaha secured a record-extending 12th manufacturers’ title, and AS BLU CRU Racing completed the sweep by securing the teams’ trophy.

Carter Thompson and the Team BrCorse squad rounded off their season on a high with victory in the final race at Jerez, as the new-for-2026 FIM Sportbike World Championship returned to action.

In WorldSBK, Yamaha faced two challenging final weekends, with an emotional farewell to Xavi Vierge adding to the significance of the season’s closing rounds. Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager, Niccolò Canepa, shares his end-of-season reflections below.

“It was a busy two-weeks to end the season with back-to-back race events at Estoril and Jerez, and we have to first mention our success in WorldSSP with securing the rider, team and manufacturer championships for the second year in a row.

“Albert’s season has been remarkable for its consistency. In his debut year in the category he secured four wins and 17 podiums from 24 races, and in the races he finished, his worst result was fifth. He took the championship lead a the fourth round and never lost it again, taking the title with three races to go in Estoril. It was nice to see him take the win in front of the home crowd at Jerez in Race 1 as champion, the atmosphere at the podium was incredible, and his speed over the Jerez weekend leaves me with no doubt he could have fought for the double were it not for the unfortunate incident at the start of Race 2.

“Credit also has to go to the AS BLU CRU Racing team for being competitive right from the start of their first season with Yamaha.

“Overall, from the 24 races, the R9 took six wins and 33 podiums with six different riders, demonstrating the strength of the platform in the class – including debut podium finishes for Aldi Mahendra and Filippo Farioli, and a maiden win for Roberto Garcia.”

“Jerez saw the return of the Sportbike World Championship, and after taking his debut victory in the class with the 2026 R7 in Cremona, Carter Thompson was able to end the season on a high with a dominant victory in Race 2 to secure third in the championship.  Considering we had a difficult start to the season, this achievement is quite the statement, and we feel confident of fighting for the title in this new class next year.

“In WorldSBK, the two events brought an end to our time with Xavi Vierge, and once again he was the strongest R1 rider across both Estoril and Jerez. In Estoril, he showed strong pace to take two top ten finishes, with a best of seventh in the Superpole race. In Jerez, he was again strong, fighting for the top ten in all three races and it was great to see his fight in the Superpole race, where he made two impressive moves on the final lap to secure ninth place and improve his grid position for the final race. It is sad to see him leave us, he has proven to be fast all year and above all, a professional and dedicated rider. He never stopped pushing the team and his feedback was always precise. We thank him for his commitment and professionalism and we wish him the best for the next steps of his career.”

“For Andrea Locatelli, it was a difficult end to the season with a best finish from the final six races of 13th in Race 1 at Estoril. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a feeling he was happy with across both events and despite the efforts of the team, we were unable to improve this. Finding the key to bring Andrea back to the performance level he showed last season is our main priority for the winter. The speed is there, we have seen it in flashes, but it has been a tough end to the year.

“The end to Remy Gardner’s season was impacted by the hand fracture he sustained at Cremona, which cost him two races and left him riding below his real level in the following rounds. Before the injury, he had shown very good pace on several occasions and this is the Remy we want back. He has the talent and the experience on the R1 and what we’ll work on in the winter is giving him the package to qualify better, as poor qualifying has compromised too many of his weekends this year.

“For Stefano Manzi, the championship position does not tell the whole story of his rookie season. He arrived as the reigning WorldSSP champion and had to learn a completely different bike, different tyres and a different way of managing a race weekend in a season where it was not easy for anyone on our side. He adapted progressively, understanding both the strengths and the limits of the R1 and in the second half of the year he was regularly able to match the other R1 riders. It has been a difficult first season, but the work he has done gives us a solid base for 2027.”

“Estoril marked the final round of the 2026 FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup, where Riichi Takahira was crowned the first Japanese rider to win the World Cup. The racing was again exciting, and the title battle went down to the final race. Takahira will progress to the Sportbike World Championship in 2027 with YME support.

“Jerez hosted the final WorldWCR round of the Yamaha era, and it ended in style with Maria Herrera crowned World Champion for the second year in a row. The past three seasons of WorldWCR have produced close, high quality racing and a real showcase for the championship, so it is a programme we close with satisfaction. Thanks must go to our partner JiR for all of their work in running this platform successfully for the last three years.

“As the 2026 season closes, work has already begun on 2027. In WorldSBK, it is clear we have work to do – and we are working hard to improve the package for 2027. As well as this work, we are also hopeful that the regulation changes will make the WorldSBK platform a little more equal across the board. We are excited to welcome Jack Miller for his first test at the beginning of December – and work at the workshop is already underway preparing the 2027 package.”

Words and imagery courtesy of Yamaha Motor Europe