After a challenging Saturday, Xavi Vierge and his crew found some useful improvements to round off the weekend on a stronger note in the penultimate round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuito Estoril. Race day dawned under cloud and mist, though that did nothing to deter the thousands of Portuguese fans. Despite a cooler, breezier morning, the skies gradually began to clear as the day went on. Building on the lessons of Saturday, Vierge and his crew us

Xavi Vierge gave Pata Maxus Yamaha an encouraging start to the penultimate round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship, setting the fifth-fastest time in Friday morning’s opening practice at Circuito Estoril, Portugal. Sunny skies, light winds and pleasant temperatures greeted the paddock for the opening day at Estoril, with plenty of fans already trackside. As was the case at Portimão, the passionate Portuguese supporters turned out in force to get the weekend under w

Andrea Locatelli takes centre stage on home ground as Pata Maxus Yamaha and the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship arrive at the Cremona Circuit for Round 10, from 25-27 September. Racing just 100km from his hometown in the province of Bergamo, "Loka" can count on the passionate support of an Italian crowd for one of the most special weekends of his season. He also arrives with fresh mileage at the venue, having tested here two weeks ago – and although the weather limited

Pata Maxus Yamaha's Xavi Vierge delivered two strong rides today at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours, taking P8 in Race 2 and P9 in the Superpole Race in the French Round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship. The team now travels straight to Cremona in Italy for an important development test. The #97 continued to progress across Sunday's two races. In the morning's 10-lap Superpole Race, Vierge battled within the same group as team-mate Andrea Locatelli to cross th

In Saturday’s Race 1, interrupted by a red flag, both Pata Maxus Yamaha riders fought hard for points at the FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours. After Friday's heat, milder conditions greeted the paddock as the day began with Superpole at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours. Xavi Vierge looked to carry over the good feeling and pace from yesterday and qualified P8, Team-mate Andrea Locatelli found an improved feeling compared to the previou

Xavi Vierge and Pata Maxus Yamaha enjoyed an encouraging start to Round 9 of the FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours, setting the fourth fastest time on Friday. Action resumed after the summer break with soaring temperatures greeting the paddock as the French round got underway. The Pata Maxus Yamaha riders took to the track in Free Practice 1 to kickstart the final four rounds of the 2026 season. After a strong end to the Donington Park r

After summer break away from racing, Pata Maxus Yamaha and the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship head to the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for Round 9 of the season, from 4-6 September. It's a circuit well known for a passionate local crowd and exciting race action, but also for its sometimes unpredictable weather. Andrea Locatelli arrives in France full of motivation, having made the most of the break to “switch off” and focus on his training. Magny-Cours is a circuit

Pata Maxus Yamaha will have extra motivation on home soil as the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship head towards Round 8 in the United Kingdom at Donington Park from 10-12 July, the series reaching its final stop before the summer break. Andrea Locatelli heads to Donington fresh from competing in the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours with Yamaha, where the Italian finished second with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. Last year, "Loka" was agonisingly close to the podium in bot

It’s Andrea Locatelli’s turn to enjoy a home race weekend as Pata Maxus Yamaha and the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship travel to Misano World Circuit this weekend, from 12-14 July. A podium in the short 10-Lap Superpole Race last year was a highlight for the team’s Italian rider, at a venue where many of his fans from Bergamo make the journey to support “Loka” and the team. Sharing the pit box this year is teammate Xavi Vierge, and following a two-day performance test l

Spaniard Xavi Vierge and teammate Andrea Locatelli leave MotorLand Aragon with a sense of “what might have been” after a challenging final day in Round 6 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship. The #97 Pata Maxus Yamaha crew found a significant step forward in setting that enabled Vierge to deliver strong pace on his R1 WorldSBK in the 10-Lap Superpole Race, where he was battling hard within the front group of riders just a couple of seconds away from the podium positio

Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge started work in Friday Free Practice for what will prove to be the hottest race weekend of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship so far at MotorLand Aragon today, refining their race pace Yamaha R1 WorldSBK set-up in gruelling conditions. Track temperatures were officially recorded as 53 degrees Celsius during Free Practice 2 this afternoon, the hottest point of the day, but the team’s direct asphalt measurement was much higher – 62 degree

Pata Maxus Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli’s Race 1 performance at Autodrom Most delivered reasons for optimism, as Round 5 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship continued in the Czech Republic today. Qualifying on the fifth row was not a hindrance to Locatelli, who worked his way through the field methodically to run seventh by Lap 10. After a lap-by-lap battle with Alex Lowes, the team’s Italian rider crossed the line in eighth place to take a solid finish in the first

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Andrea Locatelli continued his route towards fighting at the front of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship pack at Balaton Park, taking a solid seventh-place finish ahead of teammate Xavi Vierge, who progressed valiantly to tenth from P16 on the grid in Race 1 today. The team’s #55 rider qualified strongly to start from the middle of the second row, aiming to go with the front group at the beginning of Race 1 this afternoon in Hungary. When the lights

With a clear focus on long-run pace, Andrea Locatelli enjoyed a positive Friday Free Practice on his Pata Maxus Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, as Round 4 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway at Balaton Park in Hungary today. Locatelli matched his best lap time of the day on Lap 20 of 20 in Free Practice 2, demonstrating pin-point accurate race pace on very used tyres. The Italian #55 finished the day happy with the set-up of his R1 and progress made, focusing on the

Positive momentum is the target to take advantage a busy month of racing for Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Xavi Vierge and Andrea Locatelli, starting this weekend at Balaton Park in Hungary for Round 4 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship, from 1-3 May. The first of three WorldSBK events coming up this month sets the stage for both Vierge and Locatelli to build on the progress made in Assen. The team’s Spaniard added to his growing experience on the #97 Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, enjo

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Xavi Vierge enjoyed a strong start in Free Practice during the opening day of Round 3 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship at the TT Circuit Assen today, as Andrea Locatelli continued work to return to the fight at the front. Mild and sunny temperatures in the Netherlands were welcomed by the WorldSBK class, as track action got underway in earnest. Vierge picked up where he left off at the previous round in Portugal, sitting fifth overall after Fre

Andrea Locatelli showed positive signs of returning to form with a fighting ninth-place finish in Race 2, as Pata Maxus Yamaha teammate Xavi Vierge demonstrated the potential to deliver his best result of the weekend at the second round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship in Portugal, today. In front of an enthusiastic Portuguese crowd of over 82,000 people, the highest attendance seen at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for WorldSBK, fans were treated to two

After a challenging start to the season, Xavi Vierge stormed to a strong sixth-place finish in Race 1 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 2 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship in Portugal today. The Spaniard qualified sixth on the grid in this morning’s Superpole session, earning himself a second row start for the main WorldSBK feature race at Portimão – and when the lights went out, Vierge worked to follow the podium trio as well as manage pressur

Xavi Vierge found promising race pace on board his Yamaha R1 WorldSBK in Friday Free Practice on the opening day of Round 2 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship in Portugal today, while Pata Maxus Yamaha teammate Andrea Locatelli identified areas to improve for tomorrow. The first day of action at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portimao) got underway in clear, sunny conditions with track temperatures reaching more than 40°C this afternoon. Vierge led the way

After challenging conditions earlier this week, Pata Maxus Yamaha and its Official WorldSBK riders Xavi Vierge and Andrea Locatelli remained in Portimão to take advantage of clear weather at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve today. Leading the charge and completing 74 laps on the final day of the test was 28-year-old Vierge, whose running plan included refining the base set-up of the #97 Yamaha R1 WorldSBK to further match his riding style in advance of the second round