Philipp Öttl (12th): Another exhaust failure mars the end of the season

For Philipp Öttl, the 2026 Supersport World Championship ended with yet another setback: a ruptured exhaust cost the Ducati rider power in the second race at Jerez and saw him drop back to 12th place. The Assen winner finished the season in eighth place in the World Championship. As had happened at Magny-Cours, the exhaust pipe snapped.

Öttl had seen an opportunity on Sunday to hold his own further up the field. In an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com, he described how the fault affected his final World Championship race of the year.

“I got off to a decent start and was right up there. But then the exhaust cracked. It was the same problem as at Magny-Cours. As a result, the bike lost power. That costs about three tenths of a second per lap. And in this highly competitive class, that makes all the difference,” explained Öttl.

After a difficult Saturday, his starting position for the second race had improved. “On Saturday we weren’t quick enough, but on Sunday we had the pace for the top 10,” noted the German.

Strong start to the season, bad luck in the second half

The end of the season thus reflected a year in which sporting progress and setbacks alternated. Öttl’s highlight came in April at Assen: with his first victory in the Supersport World Championship, he reached an important personal milestone. He held his own in the top five of the riders’ standings until Misano, before several difficult race weekends saw him slip down the order.

Philipp Öttl: Erster Sieg in der Supersport-WM

Foto: Gold & Goose

Nevertheless, his overall performance is more nuanced than his eighth place in the standings would suggest. Öttl sees positive developments both in his own riding and with the Ducati. “There were definitely some good races this year. But we also had a few difficult weekends. The standard in the Supersport World Championship is quite high at the moment. Nevertheless, I believe I have developed as a rider. The bike was also better than last year,” emphasised the Ducati rider.

The fact that this progress wasn’t consistently reflected in the results is something that concerns him. “There were plenty of positive signs. On the other hand, we also had a lot of bad luck,” added Öttl.

Another exhaust fault at Jerez ultimately cost him the chance to make full use of his pace. As a result, the final race left him with a mixed record: his first class victory was offset by a second half of the season in which Öttl was unable to hold onto his position in the riders’ standings.

“We’ve had quite a bit of bad luck this year. There were good things and there were bad things,” summarised the eighth-placed rider in the World Championship. Details of what lies ahead in 2027 are due to be announced in the coming days. Everything points to a third season with Feel Racing. From 2027, Ducati will field the current Panigale V2 in the Supersport World Championship, which was unveiled back in autumn 2024.