Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) is a race winner in the FIM Supersport World Championship. After coming so close on several occasions in his short career. The Spanish rider took victory in Race 2 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours after taking advantage of a last-lap error by rival Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) during the Championship’s final race of the Acerbis French Round.
SO CLOSE YET SO FAR…
Garcia made his WorldSSP debut at Misano in 2025 and was immediately on podium pace, but couldn’t convert it into a maiden rostrum. He has made another step this year and claimed a first podium at Balaton Park in Race 2, but he was on the verge of victory in Race 1 before he crashed from P1. He’s had five P4 finishes this year, and a further P5 finish, showing how close to victory he’s been, but he finally crossed the line in P1 in France.
LOSING OUT ON THE LAST LAP
Garcia was in the lead group throughout the whole race in Saturday’s Race 1, but the Spanish rider fell agonisingly short of his first victory. The #37 was leading on the run down to Turn 5 but Oncu was late on the brakes and passed him at the Adelaide Hairpin. Despite Garcia staying close to the #61, Oncu held on to take his first win of the 2026 season, with 20-year-old Garcia forced to settle for second.
Reflecting on missing out on a victory again, Garcia said: “The feeling is amazing! After a long summer break and a lot of races where I fought all race, like Aragon and Misano, I had many problems in the final laps. We worked with the team and Yamaha, who put their full support on me. It was possible for me to win, but the only thing is that the wind changed on the long straight and he passed me. He braked a lot later.”
WINNING ON THE FINAL LAP
Race 2 was a dramatic affair. A red flag following a crash for Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) at Turn 3 meant it was restarted over a five-lap distance, and it was five laps of non-stop action. Garcia started the restarted race from P4 but used the outside line at Turn 1 to move into a podium position. With two laps to go, it looked like it would be Oncu vs Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) for the win. However, Garcia got ahead of Arenas and then a Turn 15 error from Oncu, on the last lap, allowed Garcia to take his first victory in World Supersport; he’s the sixth-youngest rider to win in the category.
On his first race win, Garcia said: “The feeling is amazing because, after Race 1, I knew it was possible to fight for the first position. All weekend, this was the goal. The start in the first part of the race, I made a little mistake. I came back and when I saw the red flag, I thought, ‘Now, it’s possible for sure’. I think this is amazing, for the job the team have done, my manager and Yamaha. We have a good bike.”
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