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The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team have confirmed their line-up for the 2026 season, with Bahattin Sofuoglu earning a second year with the Independent team, while they have called upon Mattia Rato to be the Turk’s teammate. Rato has made an appearance within the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock, in WorldSSP, and after an impressive season in Italy, he will join the grid full-time next season.

SOFUOGLU STAYS: A second season for the Turkish rider

Sofuoglu has risen through the ranks in the WorldSBK paddock, first with one-off appearances in WorldSSP300 in 2018 and 2019 before two full-time campaigns with the Motoxracing Yamaha squad. He took four wins and eight podiums across 2020 and 2021 – spread evenly in both – as he finished third in the World Championship standings in 2020. Despite finishing three places lower in 2021, the cousin on five-time WorldSSP Champion Kenan Sofuoglu moved into World Supersport in 2022.

It took until his second season to secure a first win in podium for MV Agusta Reparto Corse, with the Turk returning the Sofuoglu name to the top of the WorldSSP podium for the first time since Kenan won at Portimao in 2017; Bahattin’s win came in Barcelona, from ninth on the grid. While 2024 was trickier for the 22-year-old, Sofuoglu moved onto WorldSBK for 2025, where he scored 26 points in his rookie campaign with a best finish of P10 in Race 1 at Magny-Cours.

Discussing his 2026 plans, Sofuoglu stated: “When I embarked on the Superbike path, my team immediately trusted in me and we started this season together, my debut year. We took things one step at a time, improving race by race, which allowed us to obtain some new components that increased the competitiveness of my bike in the final stages so that we could keep improving. The plan is to continue to make progress, working towards some specific goals. We’re pleased with how last season went and are highly motivated and ready to tackle the next one.”

A NEW TEAMMATE: Rato set for WorldSBK debut

Sofuoglu had two experienced teammates in 2025, first with Tito Rabat and then Michael Rinaldi. However, for 2026, it’ll be a different story as Sofuoglu becomes the more experienced rider as he’s joined in the box by rookie Mattia Rato. The Italian made his WorldSSP debut this season and finished with a best of P17 in Race 2 at Cremona, while he finished third in the Italian Supersport championship with three wins and seven podiums; he was nine points behind title winner Luca Ottaviani and four behind runner-up Xavi Artigas.

For next year, he’ll jump on the Yamaha R1, and the 20-year-old said: “The chance to compete in World Superbike in 2026 has come about almost unexpectedly, but I had no doubts about accepting this challenge. I am very keen to put my skills to the test, and I know that the team will help me, without putting any pressure on me. I can’t wait to get on my bike and start to work with my technicians, some of whom I already know. Our goal is to work as hard as we can to see continuous growth.”

THE TEAM’S VIEW: “We will field another youngster, Mattia Rato, as part of our ongoing “mission” to showcase the talents of young riders”

Team Manager Sandro Carusi added: “In the recently concluded season, one of the positives for our team was the continuous growth of Bahattin Sofuoglu, in a year that saw us field two riders for the first time. This was a significant commitment in terms of the growth of our structure, which will be further strengthened in 2026 with the arrival of some new technicians. As well as confirming Sofuoglu and his growth project, we will field another youngster, Mattia Rato, as part of our ongoing “mission” to showcase the talents of young riders. In addition to our sponsors, I want to thank Yamaha and Road Racing Sporting Manager, Niccolo Canepa, for the faith they put in our team. Trust that we hope to repay by working hard to achieve the goals we’ve set ourselves.”

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