The first Sportbike World Champion: Xavier Artigas never doubted himself

Xavier Artigas followed a career path typical for a Spaniard. He started out on small-capacity prototype motorbikes, which took him through Moto3 and on to the Moto2 World Championship. The 23-year-old put in some solid performances and even secured a Moto3 victory in Valencia in 2021, but after the 2024 season, Artigas had to look for a new challenge and ended up in the Italian Supersport series.

Racing as runner-up for the Kawasaki-backed Blackflag Motorsport team, Artigas made a name for himself and was subsequently signed by MTM Kawasaki for the new World Sportbike Championship. The Belgian team is the most successful in the Supersport 300 World Championship and, in addition to numerous victories, has produced world champions Jeffrey Buis and Adrian Huertas.

However, at times Artigas was only sixth in the World Championship and trailed the championship leader by as many as 37 points. With victories and podium finishes at Magny-Cours and Cremona, however, the Catalan rider continued to climb the standings. With his victory in the first race at Jerez, Artigas took the championship lead – aided in part by David Salvador’s crash, which was through no fault of his own – and rode tactically in the final race of the season, finishing eighth.

“Right from the start, I had confidence in myself and the whole team that, if we had a chance of winning, anything was possible,” Artigas explained on Sunday afternoon. “On Saturday we picked up some important points, but in the second race the position was more important. I tried to stay as close as possible to Salvador during the race. I managed to do that, and as a result I’ve given myself some breathing space in the championship.”

Xavier Artigas goes down in the record books as the first Sportbike World Champion

Winning the 2026 Sportbike World Championship is the greatest achievement in the Kawasaki rider’s young career. The joy is immense. “We’ve done it,” Artigas exclaimed. “I’m over the moon and would like to thank everyone who believed in me – and myself too, because I believed in it more than anyone else. We’ve worked hard for several years, but now that experience has paid off.”

Salvador takes his defeat in his stride. “A few things happened over the course of the season that I didn’t like, but that’s just part and parcel of racing,” said the 23-year-old. “For my part, I’ve always tried to give my best, and I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved. I’m already looking to the future and thinking about next season – in fact, we’ve already started working towards it.”

Das Kawasaki-Team MTM

Foto: Kawasaki