News

Another piece of the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship silly season puzzle snaps into place; after four seasons of consistent form atop the factory Honda CBR1000 RR-R, Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) will split ways with one Japanese manufacturer in favour of another. Vierge’s new home will see him don Yamaha blue as he joins Andrea Locatelli in the garage, jumping into the seat left behind by the retiring legend Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha).

VIERGE’S FUTURE SECURED: the #97 switches red for blue

The announcement spells the long-awaited answer to the questions swirling about Vierge’s future with Honda. While he was the more consistent performer between him and Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) across their four seasons with the team, starting back in 2022, Vierge was the latter to find a seat. Vierge has so far earned one fewer podium than Lecuona during their time with Honda. However, Vierge finished the season ahead of his #7 teammate in each season apart from their first together.

VIERGE’S BACKGROUND: Moto2 pedigree

The #97 joined Moto2 from the Moto2 European Championship where he spent 2014 and 2015, culminating in a second-place finish in the 2015 Championship after a very positive campaign in which he won six races and ten podiums. Subsequently, in 2016, he made the move to Moto2, later earning his first podium atop his Tech 3 Honda bike in 2017, his sophomore year in the category. 2017-2021 was a characteristically consistent stretch for Vierge, earning at least a single pole position or podium every season, averaging an eleventh-place finish in the Riders’ Championship in that time.

REPLACING A LEGEND: Vierge replaces Rea

He will have big shoes to fill left behind by six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha); however, similar to his current Honda package, Yamaha has shown encouraging signs of improvement over the course of the most recent season. A consistent top ten finisher, Yamaha will be an interesting opportunity to see if the R1 will suit his riding style in a way conducive to allowing the 28-year-old to make a step and fight for podiums in earnest.

Reflecting on the signing and his thoughts about the Spanish rider, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager Niccolo Canepa said: “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.”

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