Confirmed: Yamaha Supersport World Champion moves to Ducati Superbike team

After Yamaha indicated to its Supersport World Champion Albert Arenas that it could not offer him a place in the World Superbike Championship, the 29-year-old, disappointed, began exploring options with other manufacturers. Arenas’s management forged links with the Chinese manufacturer CF Moto, which plans to enter the World Superbike Championship in autumn 2027 and aims to be competing by the time of the SBK debut in Shanghai at the end of October at the latest.

However, a second opportunity then arose for Arenas to compete in Superbike with the established Ducati customer team Go Eleven, which is expanding to two V4Rs for the coming season. Talks quickly moved forward. On 21 October, this magazine reported on the agreement.

As Arenas’s contract with Yamaha did not expire until after the EICMA motorbike show, the official confirmation came on the following Monday. In the morning, Yamaha announced the parting of ways with the Catalan rider; at 10 am, Go Eleven followed up with confirmation of his signing.

“I’m absolutely thrilled about this new challenge and really looking forward to it,” said an elated Arenas. “My main goal when I joined the Supersport class was to win the World Championship and then move up to the Superbike class. This move comes at the perfect time in my career. This year, I’ve had the chance to settle into the Superbike paddock, race twice in a single weekend and familiarise myself with all the circuits. As a rookie, I’ll have to learn a lot about the bike. I can’t wait to test the Ducati. We know it’s a competitive bike, but I want to see where I stand and what results I can achieve. I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Team Pata Go Eleven for their commitment to fielding a second bike. I’ve already had the chance to meet my team-mate Balda and some of the crew; now I just need to get out on the track!”

For team principal Gianni Ramello, the 2027 season already marks a milestone in his career: never before has he had two Superbikes on the starting grid!

“It’s the culmination of a 20-year journey that began in the stock classes,” emphasised Ramello. “We were very keen to sign Arenas. Apart from his successes as a two-time world champion – in Moto3 and Supersport – he has impressed us with his pace and a riding style that proves extremely effective in every race. We’ve followed every round of the Supersport Championship, and Albert has consistently shown great fighting spirit in the face of tough competition. I believe we have succeeded in putting together a highly competitive team capable of achieving excellent results. Special thanks go to Pata and its boss, Remo Gobbi, for their support, which made this deal possible.”