Having already clinched the Independent Teams’ title, Sophomore Italian rider Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) put the Best Independent Rider award on ice at the Circuito Estoril and put a third-place finish in the Riders’ Championship into striking range for the final round of the 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season. It wasn’t the Italian’s best round in terms of results across the three races, but his consistency this season put him in position to clinch the accolade even without a podium at the Tissot Estoril Round. That consistency has been perhaps his biggest improvement since his P18 finish in his rookie season.
CONTACT WITH BALDASSARRI SPOILS HIS SATURDAY
After putting both his and his team’s hearts in their throats with a stunning save in the morning’s FP3, Montella snagged the final spot on the second row with a 1’34.747s, more than eight tenths off from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). Try as he might, Saturday kept throwing wrenches at the #5. He took a spot to sit P5 on Race 1’s opening lap, but after contact with Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) on Turn 3 of Lap 6, Montella lost one of his bike’s wings, was sent wide, and fell back to P10. He found some solace in passing his top independent rival, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), for P9 in the first sector of Lap 14. Having closed in on teammate Alvaro Bautista, he passed him on Lap 17 to finish Saturday in P8.
“I DIDN’T SEE OLIVEIRA OVERTOOK ALEX ON THE INSIDE, ALEX PICKED UP THE BIKE AND WE TOUCHED”
Montella’s Sunday 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race was dealt a tough blow after he was penalised with a Long Lap Penalty for Irresponsible riding on the opening corner of the race. In the action. Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) went up the inside of Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who, when he picked up the bike to avoid the #88, found the #5 in his path, causing contact between the Brit and the Italian, who both went wide. Montella ended the first lap in P13, and he took the penalty on Lap 4. With the pack still dense compared to a full-length race, he fell as far back as P16. He later improved to a P13 finish after Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) went wide on Lap 5, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) crashed on Lap 7, and he moved past his countryman Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) on Lap 9.
On the penalty, Montella made his case. He said: “I think it was just a racing incident. I started from P6, I found my line on the outside and saw Alex to my side. I was just defending my position, but I didn’t see that Oliveira overtook Alex on the inside. When he came into Alex, Alex picked up the bike, and we touched. I think that it was normal contact in the race, the same as the contact between ‘Balda’ and me on Saturday in Race 1. Race direction decided to give me a Long Lap Penalty, and I did it. Some things we can’t control, but it was a shame because we had the possibility to have a good race.”
“WE MADE A BIG STEP FROM LAST YEAR, WE FINISHED P18 LAST SEASON, NOW WE ARE FIGHTING FOR P3”
Sunday afternoon saw the pieces come together for the #5, as he started from P11 and avoided contact with other riders or resulting penalties, moved up to P6 by the end of the opening lap and hung in behind Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), just three tenths behind the #47 over the first eight laps, before springing a Turn 6 move on Lap 9 for P5. Bautista crashed out from P3 on Lap 17 to see Montella up to fourth, but he couldn't catch rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing), who increased his gap from 1.1s on Lap 17 to 2.1s by the end of the race. With Sam Lowes stumbling to a P15 finish, the result clinched the Best Independent Rider Award for 2026. With a 53-point lead over Alex Lowes for third place in the Riders’ Championship and 62 points left to play, his odds of a bronze medal finish in 2026 look strong.
On having clinched the Best Independent Rider award and looking forward to a potential P3-clincher at Jerez, Montella said: “I feel relaxed now; we had been talking about this title a lot, and in the end, we did it. I’m really proud of the work done by my team and by my personal team, my personal trainer and psychologist. We made a big step from last year, I was told that we finished P18 last year, and this year we are fighting for P3. We need to keep fighting in this way and keep fighting for victories and for P3 in the title.”
Catch the spectacular sophomore rider in the season finale on Friday, October 16th with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!