Six years after his Moto3 title: Albert Arenas (Yamaha) is SSP World Champion

Albert Arenas grew up riding prototype motorbikes. Between 2012 and 2020, the Spaniard competed in Moto3, spending five of those years in the MotoGP paddock. As world champion, the now 29-year-old moved up to Moto2, where things didn’t go perfectly for Arenas, but weren’t too bad either. Nevertheless, after five seasons, Arenas made a conscious decision to switch to the 2026 Supersport World Championship with the new Yamaha team, AS Racing.

Arenas took to the R9 and the Pirelli tyres with ease. He secured his first victory as early as the second race at Phillip Island. His consistency was particularly impressive. With three wins, five top-five finishes and 16 podium places from 20 races under his belt, the Yamaha rider travelled to Estoril for the eleventh of twelve round of the season. With a commanding 86-point lead over Valentin Debise (ZX Moto), Arenas needed to lose no more than ten points to the Frenchman in the first race to clinch the world championship early.

Arenas rose to the challenge with ease, just as he had impressed throughout the season. In Superpole, the AS Racing rider did not go all out and, finishing ninth, secured what was admittedly his worst starting position of the season, he was still eight places ahead of Debise – and after five laps, Arenas took the lead for the first time, whilst the Frenchman struggled to make his way through the field in small increments.

The fact that the Spaniard eventually crossed the finish line in fourth place was a testament to his maturity. The battle for victory was fiercely contested, and a crash would have postponed the decision. Thus, with three races still to go, Arenas was crowned World Champion ahead of schedule.

As the highest-placed Yamaha rider at the finish, Arenas not only secured his World Championship title but also ensured Yamaha won the manufacturers’ championship and AS Racing won the teams’ championship!

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11.10.2026 - 11:55