Sophomore MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider Bahattin Sofuoglu and the Yamaha Motoxracing team have announced that they will mutually part ways effective immediately. The #54 will move to World Supersport, where he will continue for the rest of 2026 with QJMOTOR Factory Racing. Filling his seat atop Motoxracing’s Yamaha R1 bike, Dutch rider Twan Smits will follow up on his WorldSBK debut earlier this season at Assen.
“RACING IN WORLDSBK IS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME”
The 22-year-old Dutchman made his debut in the WorldSBK paddock back in 2021 with a pair of WorldSSP300 appearances, later riding in two WorldSSP races per season in 2023 and 2024. This season, he made his debut in the Euro Moto championship’s Superbike class, where he has impressed with four race wins and six podiums.
On his new opportunity, Smits said: “I am very excited and happy to start this new experience. Racing in WorldSBK is a dream come true for me, and doing so with the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team makes it even more special. I would like to thank everyone who has made this possible, and especially Yamaha for believing in me. I will do my very best to repay that faith with maximum commitment.”
Yamaha Motoxracing Team Principal Sandro Carusi said: “I am pleased to welcome Twan Smits to our team. He is a young rider who is already showing considerable talent, and I am sure that the whole team will do everything possible to give him the right conditions to perform at his best. I would like to thank Bahattin for the two years we have spent together and for all the commitment he has shown. In agreement with Kenan Sofuoglu, we have allowed him to pursue an opportunity which I hope will prove important for his future.”
“I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK ON MY NEW BIKE, I’M HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO GIVE MY VERY BEST”
As for Sofuoglu, his new chapter will begin at Cremona as well, replacing Spanish rider Marcos Ramirez (QJMOTOR Factory Racing Team) atop QJMOTOR’s exciting new project, currently competing in its third WorldSSP season. Sofuoglu joins the team in a good moment, as just last round, Sofuoglu’s new teammate, Raffaele de Rosa, landed the SRK 800 RS’s best result yet this season of P13. Sofuoglu enjoyed a successful three-season stint in WorldSSP from 2022 to 2024; highlighted by a personal-best 2023 campaign. That year, the #54 earned four podiums and a race win in Catalonia, his most successful season in the paddock since 2021, when Sofuoglu took sixth place as well in WorldSSP300. Having tested on the Chinese manufacturer’s bike already this season, the Turk is looking to dive headfirst into this new challenge and take the project to new heights.
On his new chapter, Sofuoglu said: “I am about to make an important change and, in some ways, an unexpected decision. First of all, I would like to thank the team I have been with up to now, with whom I have worked and shared many experiences over the past two years. I care deeply about all of them and I am pleased that we will still be in the same paddock. I had the opportunity to test the SRK 800 RS and work with the team during the tests in August, and that was when the idea of starting this new project came about. This will see me contest the final three rounds of the WorldSSP season with the QJMOTOR Factory Racing Team. I am really looking forward to getting back on my new bike and I am highly motivated to give my very best.”
On their new signing, QJMOTOR Marketing Director Lu Shuairong said: “Bahattin is a young rider with great potential. During testing in Cremona, everyone could see how passionate he was and that he had a good feeling on our SRK 800 RS. So, let's see what happens in the next three races and - of course - we need to be patient with both the bike and the rider, making progress step by step”.
Both riders will take to the track with their new teams next round at Cremona! Don’t miss the weekend’s first action on track with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!