With half of the season now in the rear-view mirror, Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) leads the FIM Supersport World Championship to Italy, where the historic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” will host the upcoming Pirelli Emilia Romagna Round amid growing tension in the WorldSSP title race. New faces continue to throw their hats in the ring; this season has already tied last season's number of different winners, with six different names already having made their way to the top step. Will it be a new pair of names on top of the rostrum at Misano, or will one of the title contenders add to their tally this weekend?
DEBISE MAKES IT A THREE-HORSE RACE
2020 Moto3 World Champion Albert Arenas continues to lead the WorldSSP field in his breakout rookie season. He has built a 40-point Riders’ Championship lead through consistently landing in the top three, a feat he’s managed nine times in comparison to a three-way tie for the second-most podiums with five apiece. His most important point this round will be to keep the hammer down and shoot for the same podium pace that he’s shown the whole season. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) is the next rider up in P2; what he’s lacked in consistency this season, he’s made up for in racecraft, as two of his three race wins so far this season came as a result of dramatic last-lap moves. That makes the #5 an impossible name to count out, and he will need all the tools at his disposal to continue chopping away at Arenas’s lead. Just three points behind Masia is Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing), the French rider will look to ride his ZXMOTO 820RR back up onto the podium after he followed up on his race win double at Most with a pair of P8s at Aragon.
ONCU BACK ON THE BALL
In fourth place with a 69-point deficit behind P1, Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) had been rebuilding his season after a lacklustre start to the campaign, notching five consecutive podiums before A P12 and P11 haul from Aragon. The round got off to a rough start as he had to contend with a back of the grid penalty, but Misano, where he took a win and a third place last season, is a good place, as any, to recover. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) lost his fourth-place spot to the Turkish rider last round and now sits in P5. While the German has only missed the top 10 once in races he finished, he will need to find another gear to put himself back in contention for the rostrum. Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) was able to do just that last round after not having appeared on the podium since the opening round of the season. He closed Aragon with a late, hard-charging P3 and will shoot for more of the same at his home round
CAN ZACCONE FOLLOW UP?
It was an even brighter Aragon Round for Alessandro Zaccone (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team), who, unlike his compatriot, had not managed a podium appearance up to that point in the season. Zaccone put his name on the list in a big way by winning Race 1, and now, on his home circuit at Misano, where he finished fourth in 2024 and second in 2025 in MotoE, he has the potential to maintain this much-improved form. Behind the #16, Spanish sophomore rider Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) has been a touch off-pace compared to his breakout rookie season. While the podium has eluded him in 2026 so far, he got better as the year went on last campaign, and his P5 and P7 at Misano last year may be a promising omen for the youngster to get back to his speed. Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) sits in P8 in the Championship, yet his results belie a strong recent run of form from the Yamaha rider. He has put himself in great positions for podiums and, on occasion, wins. Provided he can put it all together, Misano may be the round he’s been waiting for to add to his sole WorldSSP podium earned at Balaton Park. Currently 10th in the standings, British rider Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) has had an inconsistent season but continues to show tremendous upside on his day. He earned his personal best here in Misano last season with a P5, but aiding his arrival is the bronze medal he brings to Italy in his back pocket from Aragon.
GARZO JOINS THE FRAY
Renzi Corse and their rider, Riccardo Rossi, have decided to part ways ahead of the round, and Hector Garzo will replace the Italian for the rest of the season. The Spanish-born rider was the 2024 MotoE World Champion, and riding with the Ducati-powered outfit for the rest of the 2026 season, Garzo will make his debut in the WorldSSP paddock at Misano. Kevin Zannoni (Broncos Racing Team) rides as the round’s sole wild card in World Supersport; the Italian will compete atop a Ducati V2.
Follow all the WorldSSP action to come and much, much more with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!