Xarly Mendez extended his championship lead as the second round of the 2026 FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup concluded with the rider from the Dominican Republic taking victory in Race 2 at MotorLand Aragon on Sunday.
Mendez, who started from the fourth row of the grid, wasted no time in getting to the front, but as is usual in the R3 World Cup, a multi-rider battle ensued across the race with the leader changing at numerous points each lap.
In contention throughout, Mendez played it clever on the final lap to draft Riichi Takahira (Japan) to the line, taking his second win of the season by just 0.038 seconds. There was still cause for celebration for Takahira, though, with the Japanese rider celebrating his maiden podium in the class with second place.
Aymon Bocanegra (Brazil) crossed the line third, moving into second place in the championship ahead of race one winner Emanuele Pastore (Italy) who rounded out a strong points-scoring weekend with fourth. Leonardo Marques (Brazil), who enjoyed his first podium in the class on Saturday, finished fifth with Alessandro Binder (Switzerland) rounding out the top six.
Jean Kento Turner took eighth, ahead of Chris Clark (USA) who was in contention for victory until a mistake on the final lap saw him run wide while Kakeru Okunuki (Japan) and Angelo Mottola (Italy) completed the top ten, who were split by less than a second overall. Click here for the full Race 2.
The series will resume at Donington Park, Great Britain, between 10-12 July.
Xarly Mendez – Race 2: 1st, Championship: 1st (78 points)
“The race was quite difficult, I tried to break the group but it was not possible! Fortunately, I was able to make a good last lap and take the win at the line. I am so happy and want to thank my team and my family for all of their support.”