Yamaha Motor Europe and Ten Kate Racing to Conclude Partnership
Yamaha Motor Europe would like to extend its thanks to Ten Kate Racing as their successful eight-year partnership in the FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships concludes at the end of the 2026 season.
Ten Kate first joined forces with Yamaha Motor Europe in the Superbike World Championship in 2019, making an instant impression with Frenchman Loris Baz, before going on to take four podium finishes in the class in the 2020 season.
However, it was in the Supersport World Championship where Ten Kate’s relationship with Yamaha would flourish. Making their debut with the R6 in 2020, Steven Odendaal finished sixth in the world championship, before the signing of Dominique Aegerter would bring back-to-back World Championship titles in 2021 and 2022.
Stefano Manzi joined Ten Kate for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, twice finishing runner-up in the World Championship before heading Yamaha’s efforts with the all-new R9 in 2025. Winning the R9’s very first race in Phillip Island, Australia was a sign of things to come, as Manzi dominated the championship to take the R9 to glory in its first year of competition.
Ten Kate have further added to their Yamaha win tally in 2026 with Can Öncü and will conclude their tenure with Yamaha having achieved 48 victories and 99 podium finishes in the Supersport category, as well as four podiums in WorldSBK.
Andrea Dosoli, Division Manager, Motorsport, Yamaha Motor Europe
“We would like to thank Ten Kate for everything over the past eight seasons. Their record in the Supersport World Championship spoke for itself before they joined Yamaha in 2019, and adding three World Championship titles to the tally has contributed towards Yamaha becoming the most successful manufacturer in WorldSSP history. We are disappointed to see them choose a new direction for 2027 but must thank Ronald and Gerrit Ten Kate and their team for all their efforts over the past eight years.”
Words and imagery courtesy of Yamaha Motor Europe