Xavi Vierge (Yamaha) went into the SBK summer break feeling positive

After four years with Honda, Xavi Vierge has joined the Pata Maxus Yamaha works team for the 2026 Superbike World Championship. It seemed to be a stroke of luck, as Andrea Locatelli secured his first victory on the R1 last year and finished the season fourth in the World Championship – Vierge was seventh overall, which was Honda’s best result since the manufacturer’s return in 2020. However, it was not foreseeable before the start of the season that the new Ducati V4R – including those ridden by the many customer riders – would be so dominant.

At Yamaha, however, the Spaniard had already outperformed the established Locatelli during the winter tests and was also the fastest Yamaha rider at the season-opening rounds in Australia and Portimão – though crashes whilst in promising positions marred his results. From Assen onwards, the 29-year-old found himself in a slump, from which he managed to emerge at Donington Park. Finishing fifth in Superpole and in 10th, 8th and 9th places, Vierge secured the best Yamaha result in all the key sessions.

“We’ve been working on the small details and have taken a step forward. It was the first weekend in quite some time where we’ve clearly demonstrated our progress,” said Vierge, visibly relieved. “It feels good to finish the first part of the season like this, even though everyone in the team is aiming for more. We’ll use the long break to recharge our batteries so we can come back stronger for the final four races.”

However, a look at the overall standings is sobering for Vierge. With 80 points, the Catalan is only 14th in the World Championship – it could be his worst Superbike season to date. Yamaha are taking a realistic view of this year’s results.

“The 10th, 8th and 9th places in the three races demonstrated real fighting spirit and pace – a well-deserved reward for a very solid performance. The championship is incredibly close at the moment – we need better results. But the 2025 world championship-winning bikes were behind us with both riders, which shows just how close it is at this level,” said team principal Paul Denning, referring to BMW. “We’re heading into the final third of the season with optimism and are confident that we can achieve even better results.”