The inaugural FIM Sportbike World Championship trophy is up for grabs with four riders within forty points of the title lead. David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) leads the pack by a humble 13 points; his teammate Antonio Torres and fellow Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 Ninja rider Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) ride both within 17 points of their compatriot. Further back, Aprilia rider Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2), and Suzuki rider Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) will both make their attack at the Misano World Circuit "Marco Simoncelli" in the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round.
A KAWASAKI TRIO AT THE HEAD OF THE PACK
Salvador took his first win of the 2026 season last round at Aragon, and while he crashed out after contact, which saw Elia Bartolini (CM Triumph Factory Racing) later penalised, his Riders’ Championship lead remains, standing at 13 points. He took a podium last year here in WorldSSP300, a good sign for the consistent #38, but he may need to do more to fortify his lead as his rivals close in. Across the garage, his teammate Torres is squaring away his bike as he hopes to outpace his teammate and, at the bare minimum, place higher than him in both races. The more he can do here to whittle away at his points deficit, the less pressure will be on him in this season’s latter rounds. Torres will ride with a chip on his shoulder, as last season in WorldSSP300 here at Misano, he was shuffled off the podium by Salvador by a tenth of a second. On the heels of his best round so far this season, Xavi Artigas got the monkey off his back and at last landed on the top step of the podium. He has been consistently around the top in 2026; expect him to be fighting with the #38 and #47 in Italy.
VANNUCCI LOOKING FOR REVENGE
Italian rider Matteo Vannucci cruises into his home round atop his Aprilia RS 660 Factory with a head full of steam after a frustrating end in the gravel in Race 2 at Aragon, all tied up with Jeffrey Buis at 90 points apiece. Vannucci has shown the ability to fight at the front, and his bike has shown to be a missile on the straights. He is a hard rider to bet against if he can utilise the package’s strengths on the high-speed “Curvone” Turn 11. Two-time WorldSSP300 Champion Jeffrey Buis is in the mix in the Championship standings in P5. The Dutch rider has had disappointing race 2 DNFs in the last two rounds, which have cost him in the title race, but with his resume, he is a hard rider to count out. Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) is just behind in P6. His form has taken a turn for the worse in the last two rounds compared to his first two weekends, and he will look to break back into the top five fight as opposed to the top ten orbit he has been in as of late.
IERACI ARRIVES AS TOP TRIUMPH
Bruno Ieraci (CM Triumph Factory Racing) in P7 has been the most consistent of the much-improved Triumph Daytona 660 riders, as his top-ten form all season long has seen a recent jump into the podium fight. Competing in his home round, he will be a name to keep an eye on. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) has been unlucky to have crashed out of both of the last Race 2s, and he will look to get back on the horse at Misano, powered by his strong Tissot Superpole form so far in 2026. Yamaha R7 rider Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) has improved round by round this season, starting the season outside the top ten, then into the top eight. Now, after Aragon, he has his first podium. Last year at Misano in WorldSSP300, he won Race 1, so keep an eye on the Australian to make a play to try to keep climbing in this 2026 campaign. Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph) and Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) sit tied in P10; the pair have been among the recent additions to the WorldSPB top ten. In the case of Dessoy, the upgrade comes largely after his maiden podium at Aragon, whereas Fuertes has been making marginal improvements round by round and will look to solidify his status as a top-ten contender this weekend at Misano.
AG MOTORSPORT ITALIA CHANGES BIKES
Taiyo Aksu (PATA AG Motorsport Italika Racing) and his team have announced that their team will change from the Yamaha R7 to the Honda CBR600R effective immediately, marking the Japanese manufacturer’s first permanent-entry bike in the class. German rider Phillip Tonn (Kove Racing Team 109) was ruled unfit after a training injury prior to the Hungarian Round, and as he continues his recovery, Alessandro Zanca has been announced as the replacement atop the team’s Chinese-manufactured bike. As the round’s sole wildcard rider, Filippo Bianchi rides with Team MMP Velocita atop their Aprilia RS 600 Factory.
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