In just his rookie season in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship, Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) has proven himself a cut above the rest of the field and clinched the title after a hotly contested season in the highly dynamic category so frequently decided by last-minute heroics. Despite the edge-of-your seat nature of WorldSSP300 races, where any one lap can feature overtakes for the lead in the double digits, the #7 managed his season well, showing impressive race craft despite it being his first season, but a composure rarely seen at his age, just 17, to finish in strong point-scoring positions and avoid DNF-causing mistakes.

ROAD TO GLORY: European Talent Cup debut, a winner in the Red Bull Rookies Cup

Fernandez’s international debut came in the form of his 2022 season, competing in the European Talent Cup. While he struggled in his first season, he improved his 2022 30^th position finish to a P16 finish to the 2023 season and again improved to finish seventh in his 2024 season in the ETC. 2024 saw him close out the season with three consecutive top five finishes, his promising trajectory catching the eye of fans and teams alike, and for 2025, he joined the WorldSSP300 grid while also competing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup; he finished sixth in the latter, with one win and two podiums to his name.

ROOKIE CHAMPION: The first since WorldSSP300’s maiden campaign

The Basque rider had big shoes to fill in 2025 after both 2024 riders, Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport) and Marc Garcia, finished in the top six. The past and present Kove riders didn’t make fans wait long to cross sabres. In Race 2 at Portimao, the rookie emerged from Julio Garcia’s slipstream on the final lap to beat the #48 to the line by a mere 0.018s to land his first-ever WorldSSP300 win in just his second race in the category. Fernandez hovered in third place in the Riders’ Championship early on until the season’s midway point, before a second win of the season – at Misano in Race 2 – propelled him to an early Championship lead. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) and Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) made a late charge at the #7 and his title-leading position however Fernandez was able to manage the gap through the final few rounds to clinch the World Championship in his rookie season. The last rookie to win the title was Marc Garcia in 2017, in the Championship’s first season, with Fernandez adding his name to the history books in WorldSSP300’s final campaign.

FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP FOR KOVE: The first manufacturer from China to win the title

Debuting in the category for the first time at Assen back in 2023, Chinese rider Shengjunjie Zhou represented the manufacturer’s home country of China for the first two rounds of the season until Marc Garcia was given the seat for the rest of that season. Across their short time in WorldSSP300, they have tallied up 15 podiums and four wins. Kove may have joined the Championship later than their 2025 rivals – making their debut in 2023 – but their progress has been rapid to become the third brand to win the WorldSSP300 Riders’ Championship, and the first from China to do so.

VAZQUEZ’S INFLUENCE: “Benat has grown a lot as a rider and as a person by being at the front of the championship and has evolved, matured as a rider”

Fernandez has a former rider by his side in the form of Efren Vazquez. Also hailing from the Basque Country, Vazquez runs an academy for up-and-coming riders, while Fernandez uses the #7 plate – the same that Vazquez used in his 125cc/Moto3 World Championship days, where he was a two-time winner. Vazquez expanded on the growth he has seen within Fernandez, saying: “Benat has grown a lot as a rider and as a person by being at the front of the Championship and has evolved, matured as a rider. I see him very happy in this Championship and that also pleases me. The decision to bring him here was the right one and he sees it that way too. The maturity he has shown throughout the Championship has been positive. He has been able to overcome difficult circumstances. He arrived at new circuits such as Assen, where he arrived after winning at Portimao, and he kept his cool to adapt to the track, avoid mistakes and keep scoring points. The overall assessment is very positive.”

FERNANDEZ’S SEASON IN STATS

Podiums: 10

Wins: 3

Pole positions: 1

Fastest Laps: 5

Races Led: 5

Laps Led: 9

Congratulate Fernandez on his title win on social media using the hashtag #BenatOn7op and watch his title-winning campaign back using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!