Strong finish to the season rewarded: Xavi Artigas (23) is Sportbike World Champion

The 2026 Sportbike World Championship has come to an end, and it was a magnificent debut season for the new entry-level series held as part of the Superbike World Championship. There was a wide variety of brands represented, with five out of seven manufacturers securing race wins – Aprilia, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.

In the riders’ championship, Kawasaki riders dominated proceedings. With Antonio Torres and David Salvador, there were only two championship leaders up until the season finale. Whilst Torres gradually fell back, Xavi Artigas went from strength to strength. Whilst Salvador had already built up a 37-point lead over his compatriot by the time of the Most round, the gap at the top began to narrow from Magny-Cours onwards, and by Jerez the two Spaniards were separated by just twelve points – the outcome was completely up in the air, as the first race was to confirm.

For whilst Artigas secured his fourth win of the season on Saturday, Salvador crashed following contact with Yamaha rider Carter Thompson and came away empty-handed. With a 13-point lead, Artigas – racing for the Kawasaki MTM team – was now the favourite to win the title. In a turbulent second race, the two title contenders kept a close eye on each other right from the first corner. Whilst Salvador crossed the finish line in fourth place, an eighth-place finish was enough for the Catalan to win the World Sportbike Championship in his debut season.

“I’m over the moon! The title was our goal for the season and we’ve actually done it,” Artigas exclaimed. “It was a very tough race. We made contact during the warm-up lap and on lap 2. I have to thank my team, who have done a fantastic job all season. Now I’m world champion and I’m absolutely delighted.”

Artigas’s rivalry with Salvador goes back a long way. Back in 2018, the two 23-year-olds faced off in the European Talent Cup – Artigas won the junior series, whilst Salvador finished third. In the years that followed, the Sportbike World Champion competed in Moto3 and established himself as a consistent points-scorer.

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A disappointing 2024 season in Moto2 marked the end of his time in the GP paddock, and Artigas reoriented his career. It was whilst finishing runner-up in the Italian Supersport series (riding a Kawasaki) that MTM boss Ludo van der Leken took notice of the Spaniard. Winning the 2026 Sportbike World Championship is the highlight of his career so far.