Evan Bros. Racing on their 2026 aspirations: "We think we can land good results in a short to medium timeframe"
‘Carica’ and his Team Principal spoke on their team’s many changes and the reasons for their optimistic outlook
Milan’s EICMA motorcycle expo gave Federico Caricasulo and his new Team Principal, Fabio Evangelista a moment to field some questions on the rider and team once again joining forces. The FIM Supersport World Championship field is alight with interest about the returning collaboration, as the team have also split ways with Yamaha after a very successful eight-year stint together. Instead of Yamaha, Chinese manufacturer ZXMOTO have entered an agreement with the team, where they will see how their 820RR-R stacks up in their first year in WorldSSP. Valentin Debise will join Caricasulo to round out their rider pairing; the Frenchman also rode with the team back in 2024, finishing fourth in the Riders’ Championship.
POSITIVE FACTORS: “The bike is made for racing, and the team is the Teams’ Champions from 2025”
Caricasulo’s 2025 season saw him finish in 18th place behind his 2024 P7, a mark he will be eager to improve upon. His season was complicated by a midseason move from Motozoo ME Air Racing to D34G WorldSSP Racing Team, and he struggled to consistently land in the top 10 in the second half of the season after the swap. Now, however, ‘Carica’ will be returning to the Evan Bros. outfit with whom he enjoyed four years of some of his career’s best form. Among those years was 2019, where he and teammate Randy Krummenacher dominated the field to take the Teams’ Championship, with Caricasulo finishing just behind the Swiss rider in P2.
Discussing his return to the Italian team, Caricasulo said: “I’m really happy to join this project because I’m joining a new manufacturer, which is really motivated to grow quickly and be fast from the beginning, and I’ll be joining Evan Bros., the team I started with. They ‘created’ me in WorldSSP, and I had my best result with them, so I think we can do big things together. The bike is really nice. I will try tomorrow with some track specs to better understand it, but I can already feel the bike's racing DNA. I don’t know the highs and lows yet, but the engine's torque feels smooth and easy to ride. When I take a ride on the racing bike, I will have a better idea. The bike is made for racing, and the team is the 2025 Teams’ Champions. I know all of them very well, so I think we can have a good season.”
DETERMINED TO GROW: “We chose the riders who we felt could develop the bike; they’re young riders, but they have a lot of experience”
Evan Bros. Racing’s Team Principal Fabio Evangelista was unequivocal in his pride for what he and his team had accomplished with Yamaha. Equally as positive, however, was his view of what’s coming next for the team, as the ink dries on their deal with their returning pair of riders and ZXMOTO as the Chinese manufacturer prepares its 820RR-R for its rookie season.
At the EICMA event, Evangelista said: “It was a fantastic journey the last eight years with Yamaha. I always thank them for their support. It was an amazing journey with unbelievable results; two Riders’ titles and two Teams’ titles. We also won with Ana Carrasco on the R7, so I think it was a great journey. Our impression of the ZXMOTO project is very positive; we think the bike’s potential is where we can achieve good results in a short to medium timeframe. We’re involved in the bike's development with the factory and our two very talented riders. We think our two riders for 2026 are very fast and very good testers. We chose the riders we felt could develop the bike; they’re young, but they have a lot of experience. We chose the best riders we and the factory believe can deliver the best results. We already worked with them, so we know they’re very good.”
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