A rider without mistakes: SSP leader Arenas puts Yamaha in a tight spot

After five years in Moto2, Albert Arenas made a conscious decision to move to Yamaha AS Racing in the Supersport World Championship. At 29, the Spaniard was one of the older riders in the middle GP class, but for the paddock of the production-based World Championship, he is at the prime age for a racing career.

Arenas’ career plan: first to achieve success in the Supersport category, then to move up to the World Superbike Championship. A glance at the overall standings shows that the Spaniard is successfully putting his plan into action and, with four rounds remaining, leads the championship with 291 points, well ahead of Valentin Debise (ZX Moto) on 209 points.

Unlike his rivals – who, alongside Debise, include Jaume Masià (Ducati) and Can Öncü (Yamaha) – Arenas is remarkably consistent and error-free. Most recently at Donington Park, the Yamaha rider secured two second-place finishes; of the top four, however, only Masia made it onto the podium in third place in the second race. The victories were claimed by the fifth-placed rider in the World Championship and local hero Tom Booth-Amos (Triumph).

Arenas’s qualities have not gone unnoticed by Yamaha’s racing director, Niccolo Canepa. “Albert approached both races extremely cleverly and managed them in the best possible way to achieve the best possible result – and all without making a single mistake,” praised the former racing driver. “He’s extremely talented. If he can win a race, he’ll do it. Victory wasn’t possible this time, but he rode two brilliant races on both occasions to extend his lead in the championship, and that’s all we could ask for.”

No manufacturer would willingly let a rider of Arenas’ calibre go, but Yamaha cannot offer its Supersport star a place in the World Superbike Championship, at least not for 2027. Canepa will need a great deal of persuasion to convince Arenas to stay in the Supersport category for another season.