Yamaha Motor Europe will enter the new FIM Sportbike World Championship with the Yamaha R7 next season.
It has been confirmed by Yamaha Motor Europe that they will compete in the inaugural season of the FIM Sportbike World Championship with the R7.
The FIM Sportbike World Championship is introduced to the Superbike World Championship in place of the outgoing Supersport 300 Championship as the series’ entry-level class.
Fronting Yamaha’s charge in the all-new class will be 2025 Supersport 300 World Championship runner-up Carter Thompson. The Australian will ride for the BR Corse Team in 2026.
After dominating the 2025 FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup, Alessandro Di Persio will step up to the FIM Sportbike Championship next season with the Arco Motor University Team.
"2026 marks an exciting new chapter in World Championship motorcycle racing with the introduction of the new Sportbike class," said Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Motorsport Division, Yamaha Motor Europe.
"We already know the R7 is a great platform for racing from the R7 Cup series across Europe and WorldWCR, and the team here at Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport R&D have been working hard on developing the race kit for the new Sportbike category. Initial tests have been very positive, with both Locatelli and Manzi enjoying the bike a lot.
"Our aim, as always, is to win, and to do this we have put together a strong rider line-up and are very pleased to have signed 2025 WorldSSP300 runner-up Carter Thompson, a promising young rider with a lot of talent!
"The new Sportbike championship will feature as a core part of Yamaha’s step-up philosophy, with the winner of the R3 BLU CRU World Cup earning a supported ride in this series. Alessandro di Persio will be the first rider to ‘step up’ from the R3 Cup to Sportbike next year, and after a dominant season in the R3 Cup we are looking forward to seeing what he can achieve."
