Surprise: Dettwiler signs for a Yamaha team – in the World Sportbike Championship

On 26 October 2025, in Sepang, during the sighting lap of the Moto3 Grand Prix, the Swiss rider Noah Dettwiler was rear-ended at over 180 km/h by the Spaniard Jose Antonio Rueda, who had already been crowned world champion. Dettwiler had been experiencing technical problems and was riding very slowly at the side of the track. The Swiss rider was thrown into the air, suffered an open fracture to his left lower leg and life-threatening internal injuries, and had to be resuscitated.

Almost a year later, on 10 October 2026, Noah competed in another race at the Italian Supersport Championship in Vallelunga, 35 kilometres north of Rome. For the 21-year-old, this was not only a personal milestone on his road to recovery, but also laid the foundations for the rest of his racing career.

In a surprise move, Dettwiler has now signed a contract with Team BrCorse Yamaha for the 2027 World Sportbike Championship; his team-mate will be Carter Thompson from Australia, who finished third in the world championship. “I’m absolutely delighted to be returning to racing full-time after a long year of recovery,” said the Swiss rider. “I’m over the moon to have been given this opportunity to get to work together and keep developing. And I can’t wait to test the R7 for the first time and for the season to get underway.”

Yamaha racing boss speaks of a very strong duo

Niccolò Canepa, Circuit Manager at Yamaha Motor Europe, said: “We are delighted that Carter will continue to work with BrCorse in 2027, following the team’s impressive debut season with the R7 in the World Superbike Championship in 2026. Carter was undoubtedly one of the strongest riders in the second half of the season, and we are confident that he can hit the ground running and mount a full-fledged title challenge in 2027. Furthermore, we are delighted that Andrea Brambilla and the team have signed Noah Dettwiler for 2027, marking his full-fledged return to racing. On paper, Carter and Noah form an incredibly strong rider pairing, and we are excited to see what they can achieve together next year.”

The 2027 World Sportbike Championship begins on the weekend of 19–21 March in Portimão, Portugal, and comprises eight rounds with a total of 16 races. The final round takes place on 17 October in Estoril, Portugal.

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