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Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) didn’t wait long to make headlines in his first season in the FIM Supersport World Championship. The 29-year-old Spaniard sent himself to the top step of the rostrum in just his second race in the category after nearly snagging a podium in his maiden race Arenas will be a name to keep an eye on in 2026 if he can keep his Australian Round form up as the field fly back to Europe.

A DEBUT TO REMEMBER: Arenas took P4 from his first WorldSSP race

Arenas was around the business end of the order all weekend in the season-opening round at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. He popped the cork on his WorldSSP career with a Tissot Superpole P7 finish to qualify at the front of the third row at the outset of Race 1. After lights out, he made his first moves on Lap 3, moving past Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), Valentin Debise (ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) and Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing). By the end of Lap 5, Debise had closed the gap behind Arenas, duelling with the Spaniard for P4; the duel became a brawl as Bayliss caught up to the battle on his way to an eventual maiden podium. Arenas continued his fight with Debise until the #53 saw his race end in the gravel on Turn 4 of Lap 8. The Spaniard would later climb up to the podium positions on Laps 12 and 13, before being displaced by Bayliss to settle for P4.

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BOLD: “I had been monitoring, and it looked like it would dry off; so we took the gamble and it worked”

Race 2 flipped the script, with soaked conditions on track forcing a difficult decision for all riders. The track was wet, but as the rain had stopped, the question arose: should teams set their riders with the conservative choice for stability and grip, or gamble on the rain not returning and equip slick tyres to go faster as the track dries? Arenas was one of five riders who rolled the dice, including his teammate Aldi Mahendra, who pulled off a masterful recovery run from his back-of-grid start in P28[JA1]  to spar with Arenas for the top spot, even leading the race briefly on Lap 2, Arenas however, retook the position on Turn 4 of Lap 3and pulled away as the laps piled up, finishing with a gap of nearly five seconds.

On his maiden win on his WorldSSP debut weekend, Arenas was all smiles. He said: “I’m feeling really good! It feels good to win again. It was a really special weekend. It was difficult; we started with some issues, but we overcame them, and it was nice to take a win in Race 2 at Phillip Island. In the Warm Up, we tried rain tyres and slick tyres, and I could feel that the track was rideable on slicks. I had been monitoring five or six weather apps, and it looked like it would dry off, so we took the gamble, and it worked! It was a really nice payoff, and I’m really happy for my teammate because he was able to come with me onto the podium.

ROUND 2 SHAKEDOWN: “I’m looking forward to seeing how the bike works there and how we size up to the competition on European soil”

Arenas made his jump into the WorldSBK paddock this offseason, where it was speculated that he would be a name to watch this season. Few felt that he would be so fast, so quickly. He and the rest of the field return to Europe to take on Portimao next, a circuit at which he has competed six times in Moto2 and Moto3. His best result there is P8, a mark he has met a total of three times. Arenas will take on Portimao next, where he can continue to mesh with Rodolfo Gaggiolo and the rest of his team, whom he feels have so far been great in their professionalism.

On his adaptation to the team and his feelings ahead of Portimao, Arenas said: “I’ve been really focused on riding and coming to understand this format. I feel really good with the team, the crew are really professional, and I’m getting along with them. That good relationship helps me to stay calm. It was a very special weekend for the entire team, so I’m happy for them as well. I’m looking forward to racing at Portimao because it’s a track that I know, and it’s a more normal layout. I’m looking forward to seeing how the bike works there and how we size up to the competition on European soil.”

CANEPA IMPRESSED: “In WorldSSP, we saw a great sporting story”

On the growing chemistry between Arenas and the rest of the AS BLU CRU Racing Team, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager Niccolo Canepa said: “In WorldSSP, we saw a great sporting story! Late last year we agreed for the AS BLU CRU Racing Team to join Yamaha and with everything being a bit last minute, it is fair to say when they arrived to Phillip Island they were not 100% ready and had had limited track time in testing, so the focus in Australia was to get some good track time in order to be ready for Round 2 in Portimao. However, it was impressive how quickly Albert Arenas adapted to the R9, and he showed good speed all weekend. He was very happy with the bike and he was able to finish top Yamaha in Race 1 with fourth place, fighting for the podium, before winning Race 2 after a clever decision to start the race on slick tyres. After the strong weekend, Arenas now leads the WorldSSP Championship so a great start to the year."

WorldSSP action returns at Portimao alongside the rest of the paddock for the season debuts for WorldSPB and WorldWCR! Lock in your place to watch it all unfold with the WorldSBK VideoPass!