Vierge Improves Pace to Take Double Top Ten on Estoril Sunday for Pata Maxus Yamaha

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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 used Warm Up to improve his R1 – and the work paid off, with the Spaniard charging from P13 up to P7 in the 10-lap Superpole Race. In the afternoon’s mainRace 2, the #97 made a strong start and ran with the top-six group, but pushing so hard to be at this pace left him short on grip in the closing laps, still finishing an encouraging P9.

For Locatelli, however, it proved a frustrating day. A heavy crash in the Superpole Race ended his morning early, though he thankfully walked away unhurt. Fortune continued to desert the Italian in Race 2, where a technical issue on his spare R1 WorldSBK forced his retirement – something the team is already working on ahead of next week’s round in Jerez.

The championship now reaches its climax, moving on next week to Jerez for the season finale. The Spanish circuit will also host the final round of the WorldWCR, where Beatriz Neila remains in the title fight, albeit with only a slim mathematical chance of taking the title.

The Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto has historically been a happy hunting ground for the team and its riders. With Vierge’s motivation intact, a chance to reset for Locatelli, and Neila and Chloe Jones eager to end the season on a high, Pata Maxus Yamaha heads to Jerez ready to bring the 2026 campaign to a strong close.

Xavi Vierge – SPRC: P7 / Race 2: P9

“After a hard weekend, at least we showed much better speed today. The team worked so hard, and we tried achange in Warm Up that gave me a step in the right direction. I’m really happy to have shown good pace in the Superpole Race over the 10 laps – I could make a big step compared to yesterday on race pace, and with the SCX race tyre, which is very important. We knew that over the 21 laps it would be critical, because I had to push like a qualifying lap every single lap. But we tried it, made a good start and I was in a good group. As I said, I pushed everything until the tyres had had enough, and then tried to bring the bike home in the best position possible. For sure it’s not the result we want – the gap to the front is still big – but it looks like we’ve found something, and I hope that over these next few days we can learn from it and see if we can adjust a little more to have more options for Jerez and finish the season on a high.”

Andrea Locatelli – SPRC: DNF / Race 2: DNF

“For sure, not the best day. A very difficult weekend, but there were still positives, because on Friday we started in a good direction – we were finding a good feeling and trying to build confidence through the weekend. Talking about today, I’m very disappointed with the crash in the Superpole Race. We tried again in Race 2, made a start and pushed hard, but a technical problem stopped us. It’s been a tough one, but we need to look forward, stay positive and go to Jerez with motivation to finish the season as well as we can.”

Paul Denning – Team Principal, Pata Maxus Yamaha:

“For Xavi and his crew, Sunday was a much better day than Saturday here in Estoril. It was a fine performance to come from P13 to P7 in the Superpole Race, and he showed a lot of commitment in Race 2 to chase the top-six group. Unfortunately, using up too much of the tyres in the early stages to make that happen left him with P9 at the flag – still a good reward for a great effort. For Andrea, it was a day to forget: a huge crash in the Superpole Race, followed by an unfortunate technical issue in Race 2. As a team, we had hoped for more here in Estoril, a circuit that has been kind to us in the past, but at least we don’t have to wait long to reset, and try to finish the season strongly in Jerez next weekend.”