Kawasaki aims to give Ducati a run for its money: Garrett Gerloff is well prepared

Kawasaki and Garrett Gerloff have been the positive surprise of the 2026 Superbike World Championship. Whilst Honda and Yamaha’s results have plummeted, Team Green has shone with numerous top-ten finishes – something that is by no means a given in this highly competitive series this year.

The Texan is in his second season with Kawasaki and is now almost fully exploiting the potential of the ZX-10RR. Currently eighth in the World Championship, he is ahead of six Ducati and two Bimota riders. Whilst a climb up the standings is unrealistic, Gerloff must try to keep the Ducati privateers Alberto Surra (9th) and Álvaro Bautista (10th) behind him in the final three rounds.

The 31-year-old believes he should be able to achieve this at his team’s home race this coming weekend. “The track in Cremona is something quite special, and I like it. We did some test sessions here a few weeks ago, and two years ago I just missed out on the podium with a fourth-place finish on this very same circuit,” Gerloff explained.

But bear in mind: two years ago, Gerloff was riding a BMW M1000RR!

One advantage for Gerloff: his Puccetti team had tested in Cremona for two days at the end of June and again at the end of August, in very hot conditions. Most of his Superbike rivals, by contrast, only tested on 10 September and managed just a few laps in dry conditions. This is another reason why the American is confident ahead of the tenth round of the season.

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“My feel for the bike is now consistently good, as our recent results in France have shown,” emphasised Gerloff. “In Italy – which we regard as our home race – I want to be right up there fighting at the front and achieving results that will make our sponsors and all the Italian Kawasaki fans happy.”