With the covers taken off the 2026 Pata Maxus Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, Andrea Locatelli and new-signing Xavi Vierge discuss this year’s FIM Superbike World Championship ambitions – alongside key insights from Team Principal Paul Denning. Yamaha Motor Europe and Crescent Yamaha’s impressive 11-year WorldSBK Official Team partnership continues to move from strength-to-strength, with the project-leading Motorsport Division at Yamaha R&D Europe’s campus in Gerno di Lesmo at the spearh

Andrea Locatelli and new Yamaha signing Xavi Vierge returned to the track for the first time in 2026 with two days of very mixed weather conditions in pre-season winter testing at Circuito de Jerez in Andalucia, Spain. Both riders sported one-off black, grey and blue camo-coloured test leathers, taking design cues from the 2026 Yamaha Racing Paddock Blue clothing range, as the final elements of this year’s R1 WorldSBK performance package come together. Vierge continued to get

Pata Maxus Yamaha’s 2026 riders Andrea Locatelli and Xavi Vierge completed two days of intensive on-track testing at Circuito de Jerez in Andalucia, Spain, today as winter preparation for the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship continues. With a solid two days under his belt on the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, new signing Vierge finished the test with the second-fastest overall lap time of 1:38.058 and completed 132 Laps in total. It was a personal-best lap time for Vierge at Jerez

Straight after the final round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship season finale, Pata Maxus Yamaha’s 2026 line-up of Andrea Locatelli and new signing Xavi Vierge took to the track to complete the first winter test in preparation for the new season. Vierge enjoyed his first day aboard the Yamaha R1 WorldSBK, adapting quickly following four years with his previous team to finish second-fastest overall with a lap time of 1:39.137 (61 Laps). Teammate Locatelli continued