The 2026 FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup is set for a dramatic championship showdown at the Circuito Estoril this weekend, with just a single point separating the series’ leading two riders heading into the final round.
The Dominican Republic’s Xarly Mendez has led the championship since the opening round, but after three victories from the last four races, Japanese ace Riichi Takahira has managed to chase Mendez down, with his Race 2 win last time out at Cremona seeing him take control at the top of the standings, albeit one point ahead of the previous series leader.
Mathematically, the top seven riders all remain within championship contention. Italy’s Emanuele Pastore sits third overall, 31 points back on Takahira’s lead with Brazil’s Aymon Bocanegra 35 points off the series lead. Mottola (Italy), Clark (USA) and Binder (Switzerland) are also in theory championship contenders with 50 points on offer in Portugal this weekend.
Last year in Portugal, Bocanegra took victory in the second race while Mendez also has a strong record at the Estoril track, having stood on the podium in Race 1 12 months ago. For Takahira, Estoril presents a new challenge – but learning circuits has proven to be a strength of the Japanese rider this year.
The weekend gets underway with Practice and Superpole on Friday, ahead of Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday both taking place at 13:00 local time. The races can be streamed live on the Yamaha Racing YouTube channel.