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Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) snagged his first FIM Supersport World Championship rostrum at the Motul Hungarian Round – although it’s fair to say he did it the hard way. Leading with just a few laps to go at the Balaton Park Circuit in Race 1, the Spanish rider crashed from P1 much to his disappointment, but he responded in style in Race 2 to claim a third-place finish and his first rostrum in the class.

Garcia has put in some impressive performances ever since he jumped on the Yamaha R9 halfway through last season, often fighting just outside the podium places but with the rostrum in reach. In Hungary, Garcia qualified in seventh place but a fast start in Race 1 moved him up to third. He remained there for two laps before passing Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) on Lap 3 and took the lead the following lap, when he got ahead of Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing). However, disaster struck for Garcia on Lap 14 when he crashed at Turn 15, retiring from the race. He returned to the box to be consoled by his team.

Luckily for Garcia, he set the fifth fastest lap in Race 1, giving him a second row start for Race 2. Like in Race 1, the #37 got a good start and immediately ran into the podium places. He was never more than a second away from the race lead as Oncu and Arenas battled it out for victory but settled in behind the duo. Despite running in P3, the Spaniard had to defend a bit from Matteo Ferrari (WRP Racing) in the closing stages, with just half-a-second between those two at the line as Garcia secured his first podium in WorldSSP, while he’s the 11^th youngest rider to stand on the podium.

Talking after his Race 2 podium, Garcia said: “The feeling is amazing. I was a little bit angry after Race 1 and on Sunday, I preferred to stay calm. For last year and this year, I’ve worked a lot on the bike and off it. It’s a great day. This is so nice for me. I saw Ferrari with two laps to go; he tried to pass me. It’s so good for me because now I have a great feeling on the bike. In another race, I think it’s possible to fight for the podium and in the first five positions. For the last year, it’s been possible to go to the front and fight for the podium positions and now we finally have the speed. After the crash, I was relaxed and focused on Race 2.”

Garcia’s performances since he stepped into WorldSSP from the Moto2 European Championship last year have caught the eye. He claimed seven top 10 finishes in 14 races last season and started 2026 in much the same vain. Ninth and sixth at Phillip Island were followed up with fourth and fifth at Portimao. While Assen was trickier, with two non-scores, Garcia was back on form at Balaton Park and Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Sporting Manager, Niccolo Canepa discussed Garcia’s weekend.

Speaking about Garcia’s weekend in his “Canepa’s Comments” column, the Italian said, said: “The surprise of the weekend was Garcia, who is really young but showed his speed. It was great to see him leading the race and showing an exceptional pace until the end when he made a mistake, but he reacted well and came back from this in the second race and was fighting with the leaders and ended up on the podium. I believe he had the pace to win the race, but we also understand that after the crash in Race 1 he just wanted to finish but I believe he has an exceptional talent and it’s good to see him grow so quickly in this Championship. It’s great to have him in Yamaha.”

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