Yamaha is in trouble: Chinese brands are the new bogeymen

For some observers, it was astonishing to see just how firmly Yamaha has established itself in the production-based World Championship over the years. For a long time, the Supersport World Championship resembled a Yamaha Cup, and even since the introduction of the Next-Generation rule, the Japanese manufacturer has been supplying the majority of riders.

Furthermore, in the WorldWCR, established in 2024, Yamaha acted as the supplier of the standardised bikes – though it is also true that only Yamaha was willing and able to provide such support and contribute financially. The R3 World Cup (to be known as the R7 Cup from 2027) also takes place as part of the Superbike weekends. With six R1s (four factory and two customer bikes), Yamaha is also prominently represented in the Superbike World Championship – only Ducati fields more bikes.

Just imagine if Yamaha were to abruptly cease all its motorsport involvement, as Suzuki once did – half the paddock would be deserted!

But a year ago, the top team Evan Bros heralded a major shake-up with its switch to ZX Moto – and, in the 2026 Supersport World Championship, secured two more wins from a standing start with Valentin Debise than Yamaha world champion Albert Arenas. Following this year’s runners-up finish, the Chinese manufacturer will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The next setback came with Ten Kate Racing’s departure after eight years; the team will now organise QJ Motor’s factory programme. “We are disappointed that they are taking a new direction for 2027, but we would like to thank Ronald and Gerrit Ten Kate, as well as their team, for all their efforts over the past eight years,” commented racing director Andrea Dosoli. “Their Supersport record spoke for itself even before they switched to Yamaha in 2019, and with three further world championship titles, Ten Kate has helped make Yamaha the most successful Supersport manufacturer.”

With Albert Arenas and Can Öncü, Yamaha is also losing its two best riders from this year!

In the Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, there will be no blue at all by 2027: the CF Moto 675SR-R will be used for the next three years.

Regular readers of SPEEDWEEK.com have long been aware that CF Moto is set to enter the Superbike World Championship and could, in the medium term, even overtake Yamaha in the top category – especially as no Yamaha rider made it into the top 10 of the overall standings last season.