Yamaha confirms entry to Sportbike World Championship

Yamaha has confirmed it plans to race its new R7 in the upcoming Sportbike World Championship. 

The new WorldSPB series is completely new for 2026, as it replaces the outdated Supersport 300 class which had previously been dominated by two brands in particular: Yamaha and Kawasaki.

The Supersport 300 championship was similar to that of the Moto3 class, as in it was aimed at young riders looking to move through the ranks in the hope of one day racing WorldSBK. 

The idea behind the Sportbike World Championship is no different really, it’s just that those riders will now be using more powerful machinery. 

The new Sportbike series is a debutant when it comes to the world stage, however, it’s not an entirely new category, as a similar series is already present in BSB. 

The 2025 Pirelli National Sportbike Championship was won by Dutch rider Kas Beekmans, who rode a Suzuki’s GSX-8R. That same model has been listed as a bike that can be raced in WorldSPB, along with other motorcycles such as the CFMoto 675SR-R, Aprilia RS660, Triumph Daytona 660, Honda CBR600RR, Kove 450RR and Kawasaki’s ZX-6R 636.

Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Motorsport Division, Yamaha Motor Europe, said this about Yamaha’s participation in the new series:

“2026 marks an exciting new chapter in World Championship motorcycle racing with the introduction of the new Sportbike class. We already know the R7 is a great platform for racing from the R7 Cup series across Europe and WorldWCR, and the team here at Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport R&D have been working hard on developing the race kit for the new Sportbike category.”

The press release also sees Canepa go on to say that Yamaha’s factory WorldSBK rider Andrea Locatelli, and reigning World Supersport champion Stefano Manzi, have tested the new R7 that will race in the WorldSPB class.

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