Jeremy Alcoba found his first Supersport test on the Yamaha R9 “strange”

When Kawasaki team boss Manuel Puccetti told him he would have to look for a new employer for the 2027 Supersport World Championship, Jeremy Alcoba’s world came crashing down. For although the season had fallen short of expectations up to that point, he had his team-mate Dominique Aegerter well under control and was clearly expecting his contract to be renewed.

Then, in the final quarter of the season, Alcoba embarked on a comeback of a kind rarely seen: in Cremona, the 24-year-old stormed to Kawasaki’s first one-two in the middleweight class. He then followed that up with a third place and another victory at Estoril, before finishing the 2026 Supersport World Championship in third place overall with a second-place finish and his fourth victory at the season finale in Jerez.

“After Cremona, our situation had changed dramatically – we’d been working towards this moment for a long time. We went through a difficult period and hardly anyone had expected us to take off like this. We’ve done a fantastic job,” said Alcoba in an interview with motorsport journalist Greg Haines at EICMA. “But now I’m somewhere else, and I’m very happy about it. It’s a new chapter in my career and I’m riding the best bike with the best team.”

Since its debut in 2025, the Yamaha R9 has been unbeaten in the Supersport World Championship, winning two consecutive riders’ world titles. How did the Spaniard find his first test on the three-cylinder bike? “It felt a bit surreal, because the tyres are different too – switching from Pirelli to Michelin. They feel different, but they’ve made a good impression on me. What’s true, though, is that the bike feels different with them,” explained Alcoba. “We need to work out the basics, such as the temperature range in which they perform best, how they affect the balance, or how they feel after a few laps. But these are factors that are the same for all riders. Whoever adapts best and quickest could have an advantage at the start of the season.”

Having been the most successful rider at the last three rounds, Alcoba’s only goal in his new set-up for the 2027 Supersport World Championship can be to win the title. “Of course. That’s why the team signed me up and that’s why I signed for them,” said the Yamaha rider confidently. “I can cope with these expectations – the pressure helps me stay more focused. I’ve more or less put 2026 behind me and am preparing for the new season.”

Jeremy Alcoba bei seinem ersten Yamaha-Test

Foto: AS Racing