SSP champion Albert Arenas: Suddenly, he has a second chance in Superbike

Although Albert Arenas won the Supersport World Championship in outstanding style for Yamaha, the Japanese manufacturer was unable to offer him a Superbike seat for 2027. This is because Andrea Locatelli, Remy Gardner and Stefano Manzi all have valid contracts, and the last of the four places was snapped up by Jack Miller, who is moving up from MotoGP. On the occasion of his departure from Yamaha, Arenas remarked that Miller had been preferred to him, which he described as ‘fair’. However, even without the Australian’s arrival, he would not have got the seat, as Xavier Vierge – consistently the best R1 rider this year – would have stayed on.

Yamaha offered Arenas a two-year contract for 2027 in Supersport and a guaranteed place in the World Superbike Championship in 2028. He would also have been given five days of testing on the 1000cc bike next year to prepare as well as possible. The Spaniard politely declined: “I’m taking the risk to find what suits me best for the future. I don’t want to ride in Supersport for another year, partly because of my age. I want to develop, so I have to be brave. I don’t want to settle for less, but rather seize the opportunities that come my way. As a rider, I want to grow through the challenges I face.”

Arenas’s management forged ties with the Chinese manufacturer CF Moto, which plans to enter the World Superbike Championship in autumn 2027 and aims to be present by the time of the SBK debut in Shanghai at the end of October at the latest. However, signing a contract there would have meant that the Supersport champion would not have raced for a year and would only have been employed as a test rider.

In the week leading up to the SBK finale in Jerez, Team Go Eleven put the probability of Italian champion Alessandro Delbianco securing the second Superbike seat alongside Lorenzo Baldassarri at “99.9 per cent”. Just how much such statements are worth became clear when it emerged that Arenas was also available – a rider of far greater calibre.

The 29-year-old, who won six Moto3 Grands Prix and also finished on the podium in Moto2, was supported by snack manufacturer Pata whilst riding for the Swiss AS Yamaha team during his World Championship triumph this year. Remo Gobbi’s Italian company, with its significantly increased commitment, is enabling Go Eleven to field two Panigale V4Rs for the first time in 2027. And all the signs point to Albert Arenas being the one to ride them!

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Arenas had previously been linked with the Marc VDS team, but they will continue with one bike and Sam Lowes.

Teams & Riders, 2027 Superbike World Championship: