2027 Supersport World Championship with eight brands: how many factory teams each brand has

The line-up for the 2027 Supersport World Championship is taking shape; as was the case this year, eight brands will be competing. Whilst Suzuki is joining the fray as the Motozoo team switches manufacturers, MV Agusta is pulling out. Suzuki does not have a factory programme behind it.

This is already the second bombshell in the space of a few weeks. The first came from the Chinese manufacturer QJ Motor, which has signed a multi-year contract with the most successful team in the Supersport World Championship, Ten Kate Racing from the Netherlands. Can Öncü and Zonta van den Goorbergh will be given a motorbike for 2027 that bears little resemblance to this year’s QJ model. A fundamentally new model is then due to be launched in 2028.

The second Chinese brand, ZX Moto, is also showing tremendous commitment. Evan Bros is handling track operations and development; at the factory in Chongqing, 1,800 kilometres south-west of Beijing, work is in full swing to bring the ideas from Italy to fruition. Runner-up in the world championship, Valentin Debise, is staying on, as is the Italian Federico Caricasulo. ZX Moto continues to field just one World Championship team, but also intends to get involved in national championships – with a new motorbike.

Honda has extended its contract with Ana Carrasco

ZX and QJ are currently pushing harder than any other brands in this category. Kawasaki and Honda are also fielding works teams, but these are being run on a significantly smaller scale. Kawasaki has parted ways with multiple race winners Jeremy Alcoba and Domi Aegerter; their successors are Sportbike World Championship runner-up David Salvador and former Moto3 champion Jaume Masia. Honda is introducing a facelifted version of the CBR600RR and has extended Ana Carrasco’s contract. The world champion in the Supersport 300 and WCR classes has never finished higher than 22nd in 44 Supersport World Championship races.

Yamaha had three factory-backed teams in 2026; following the withdrawal of Ten Kate, there will be just two next year: the world champion AS team led by Swiss rider Andrea Quadranti, and Christophe Guyot’s GMT94. With champion Albert Arenas moving to the Superbike World Championship and joining Go Eleven Ducati, AS needed a new number one rider. They found him in Alcoba, who finished on the podium in each of the last six races of the 2026 season, winning four times and securing the World Championship bronze medal in the process.

The private Yamaha team Kofler Motorsport must wait to see whether Andrea Kofler’s place on the grid is confirmed; this formality applies to everyone. If all goes to plan, we will see an Austrian in the field again in 2027.

Triumph with a new bike and factory team

Triumph has doubled its factory commitment and has designated the new Renegade team as ‘Factory Racing’, whilst Simon Buckmaster’s established and successful PTR squad is now referred to merely as ‘supported’. As the Street Triple was largely developed by PTR, the designations are unlikely to make much difference in practice. Triumph has a new homologation model for 2027 , with the displacement of the three-cylinder engine increased from 765 to 798 cc. With two-time world champion Dominique Aegerter from Switzerland, PTR has secured the services of the most successful rider still active in this class.

Ducati also has a ‘new’ motorbike: the Panigale V2, which was unveiled back in autumn 2025 and, whilst offering slightly less power, is significantly lighter. Ducati is expected to have the most bikes on the grid again in 2027, with Philipp Öttl from Ainring near Salzburg riding for Team Feel Racing. There is no factory team from Bologna.

Teams & Riders, 2027 Supersport World Championship: