Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) put his name up in lights for his second win this season in Race 2, as the FIM Sportbike World Championship pack up from the Acerbis French Round. His win means that he takes second place and closes to within 30 points of current leader David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) in the Riders’ Championship battle. Behind him, Carter Thompson steps onto the rostrum for his fourth rostrum result of this inaugural season ahead of Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph), who takes the bronze medal from the final race in 2026 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.

A RACE 2 CLASSIC

Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) sent himself sailing off the line for the holeshot into P1s, but it was Pepe Osuna (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) who led his first lap this season as they made their way across the line to start Lap 2. Having made his way up from his P8 grid starting position, Salvador loomed large behind him in P2, cutting past to take the lead at Adelaide on that second lap. Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) bided his time near the latter half of the seven-rider lead group after climbing up from a P11 start. With three laps to go, He opened up the throttle and sent himself up to the fight for the race win. At the outset of the final lap, he sat in P1, and despite daring late moves from Salvador and Thompson, a decisive move around the outside on Turn 15 sealed his second win this season. His effort and Antonio Torres's (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) crash meant that the #34 jumps Torres up into P2 in the Riders’ Championship, now trailing Salvador by 30 points.

PODIUM PLACERS

Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) started from P3, and the Australian fought tooth and nail with Osuna and Seabright for second place in the early running. Despite his best efforts and a race-long scrap for the win, The Australian landed a silver medal, his third rostrum result in a row. Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) threw the kitchen sink at his rivals, but facing the added distraction of a knock to his shoulder suffered in the morning’s Warm Up, P3 arrives as his second podium in a row.

SALVADOR SLIPS OFF THE ROSTRUM

David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) nearly pulled off a gutsy late move to steal away the race win on the last lap, but he fell down to P4 by the time he crossed the finish line. The result means his margin stands at 30 points ahead of the penultimate round, meaning that he could, at the earliest win the title in Race 2 at Cremona. His teammate, Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI), climbed up from a fourth-row start to a solid P4, yet a tech issue with six laps to go meant a costly DNF. Osuna hung in with the lead group, and with three laps to go, he held on to within under seven tenths of P1, landing his best result of the season in P5. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) didn’t quite have the gas to fight at the front in Race 2, but P6 complements his Race 1 result of P5 well, as the Dutchman stabilises his season after two straight rounds with a crash.

VAN CRUGTEN SEALS DEBUT ROUND STRONG

In P7, Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) made it four manufacturers in the top seven, hanging well with the top group as he will look to get back to podium pace in the last two rounds. Harrison was the fastest of the riders in the second group as he and his Triumph Daytona 660 beat out Dutch replacement rider Jurrien Van Crugten (MMR) for P8 by a mere 0.154s. The #20, however, made a strong case for himself in his WorldSPB debut, improving from P16 in Race 1 to P9 in Race 2. Closing out the top ten, Elia Bartolini (CM Triumph Factory Racing) returned to the top ten after back-to-back results outside the points. Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) finished within the top ten; however, after he was applied a three-second penalty for Irresponsible Riding, he was shuffled back to P15.

The top six from the WorldSPB Race 2: Full results here!

1. Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki)
2. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) +0.098s
3. Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) +0.331s
4. David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) +0.550s
5. Pepe Osuna (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) +0.658s 
6. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.756s
   Fastest lap: Xavi Artigas (Kawasaki) – 1’45.373s

Championship standings

1. David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) 197 points
2. Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) 167
3. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) 146
4. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) 122
5. Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) 113
6. Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) 90

WorldSPB will return at Cremona on Friday, September 25^th for their penultimate round of 2026! Tune in Live with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!