Two-time WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista has agreed to join Barni Spark Racing for the 2026 campaign.

The Spaniard will leave the factory Ducati outfit for a second time after it decided to replace him with fellow countryman Iker Lecuona.

Bautista’s future in WorldSBK had been uncertain since Ducati chose not to exercise the second year of his 1+1 contract.

After reported talks with six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea fell through, Barni Spark presented a deal with the 40-year-old.

Bautista’s extensive knowledge of the Panigale is believed to have made him an attractive option ahead of the debut of Ducati’s new V4R model in 2026.

He will replace Italian rider Danilo Petrucci, who agreed to join BMW on a one-year deal earlier this year.

 “I want to thank Barni for the trust and interest he has shown in me,” Bautista shared.

“Right after the announcement that I would be free for the 2026 season, he contacted me without hesitation and that means a lot to me.

“I’m happy to remain in the Ducati family, where I have already achieved success and I believe that together with Barni we can reach great results.

“The team is constantly growing season after season, and this agreement represents another step forward.

“It will take commitment since I’ll be working with new people, but I’m confident because I see in Barni great motivation and a strong competitive spirit. I want to prove that I can still win.

“The last two years have not been easy due to the new regulations, but now with the new Panigale V4 and Ducati’s support, we’ll have everything we need to be competitive.

“The goal is to reach our maximum potential and from there aim even higher.”

Barni Spark Racing Team Principal Marco Barnabo stated: “We are proud to welcome Alvaro to our team for the upcoming season.

“For a private team, having a three-time World Champion is a source of great satisfaction and proves the solid credibility and stature of our team.

“Important challenges await us, but that’s exactly what drives us to constantly improve.

“Alvaro is still proving his worth today, and we are certain he can give us a fundamental contribution to continue growing.”

READ MORE – Six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea announces retirement after the 2025 season

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Six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea has announced he will retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2025 season.

The Northern Irishman departs as the most successful rider in the sport’s history, having won six consecutive world championships with Kawasaki from 2015 to 2020.

His career in the Superbike paddock began in 2008 with Ten Kate Honda, before he joined Kawasaki in 2015, and currently rides for Yamaha.

In his 459 championship races to date, the 38-year-old has broken numerous records, including the most championship titles, with 264 podium finishes and 119 victories.

Rea has struggled since moving to Yamaha in 2024, securing only one podium finish, which arrived at Donington Park.

Although he was rumoured to join Barni Spark Racing for the 2026 Ducati Panigale, the deal reportedly fell through.

“I’ve been thinking of this day for a long time, and finally I’ve decided to step away from full-time racing and retire,” Rea announced on his Instagram.

“This sport has been everything to me. From growing up as a child in Northern Ireland dreaming of racing bikes to standing on the top step of the World Superbike Championship, winning races and world championships.

“Throughout my career, I’ve only ever had one goal and that was to win, and that mentality defined who I was. I never raced to make up the numbers, I raced to be the best.

“But the time has come to listen to my body, my mind and most importantly, my instinct.

 “If I can’t race to win, then it’s time to step away. I have the same love for the sport I had on day one right now in this present day.

“I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved during my lengthy career. Six World Championships, more than 100 race wins, and so many other accolades along the way. These are some records that I never imaged could be possible.

“It’s not the records, the trophies or the race wins. It’s the people and the memories I take with me forever,” he added.

“I’ve had the honour of working with some incredible teams, sponsors and engineers during my career.

“You’ve all been part of this journey and I’m incredibly grateful that you let me live my dream. To my family, mum and dad, brother and sisters, thank you so much for all your sacrifice during the early days of my career.

“To my wife, Tarsh, and our kids, Jake and Tyler, thank you so much for being my anchor and my rock during all the good and tougher times.

“To all my rivals and competitors during my career, thanks for making my dig deep. I was such a better rider because of you guys.

“To all my fans, thank you for all your incredible support and loyalty; all the support during good times and bad times have really helped me through and given me the career I’ve dreamed of.

“Whilst I’m stepping away from full-time racing, this isn’t goodbye. I’ll always be part of this sport, just in a different way.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. It’s been one hell of a ride. I’ll see you in the paddock.”

His legacy remains strong, highlighted by other achievements such as finishing runner-up to Sir Mo Farah in the 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards and winning Irish Motorcyclist of the Year nine consecutive times.

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Ducati has officially announced the signing of Honda rider Iker Lecuona for the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Following its June announcement to part ways with two-time champion Alvaro Bautista after the 2025 season, Ducati believes the two-time WorldSBK podium finisher is the ideal replacement.

Still just 25, he has already built a strong resume across MotoGP and WorldSBK, racing for Tech3 KTM in 2020 and 2021, and spending the past four seasons with Honda.

The two-time podium finisher will join forces with Nicolo Bulega, who is two months his senior, for the 2026 season.

Due to the budget allocated for its second rider, reports indicate that the Spaniard has agreed to a reduced salary to ride the all-new 2026 Panigale.

Ducati’s official statement reads: “The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with Iker Lecuona, who will ride the new Ducati Panigale V4R in the 2026 WorldSBK season.

“Born on January 6, 2000, in Valencia, the Spanish rider made his debut in the Moto2 category at the age of 16, where he remained for four seasons before moving up to MotoGP in 2020 with the Tech3 team.

“Since 2022, he has been competing in World Superbike with the Honda HRC team, with whom he has achieved two podiums and one pole position in the 113 races he has contested so far.”

Honda added: “Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and rider Iker Lecuona will bring their collaboration to a close at the end of the 2025 Superbike World Championship season.

“Since joining Honda HRC in 2022, Lecuona has proved his dedication and racing spirit, working closely with his crew to steadily improve on performance and consistently fight inside the top ten.

“His best WorldSBK results include two podium finishes, at Assen in 2022 and at Estoril in 2024.

“Committed to his role as a Honda rider, Lecuona also represented the company during several MotoGP rounds, as a replacement rider, and was part of the triumphant Honda line-up at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in 2022, riding the CBR1000RR-R SP.

“Honda HRC wishes to thank Iker Lecuona for his dedication and professionalism throughout these four years together.”

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Four-time MotoGP race winner Jack Miller is waiting for an answer from Yamaha before deciding his future for the 2026 season.

The Australian joined Pramac Yamaha after being replaced at KTM by Pedro Acosta in 2025, signing a one-year deal that expires at the end of this season.

Earlier this year, Pramac Yamaha obtained the signature of two-time WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, meaning Miller or team-mate Miguel Oliveria will depart.

Yamaha has yet to make a final decision on who to keep within its satellite outfit, but Miller warns he has “options” and wants to secure his future as soon as possible.

“I’ve been more than patient enough. If you want me, you want me, if you don’t, you don’t. It’s as clear as that,” he said to MotoGP.com at Balaton Park.

“Your guess is as good as mine at the moment, in terms of what their strategy is and what they plan on doing. 

“I have options, and I’m going to move forward with those options if it doesn’t come quickly.”

Where could Jack Miller end up in 2026?

Miller’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 season, but his alternative options could lead him to the WorldSBK paddock.

The 30-year-old has been heavily linked with moves to Ducati and BMW, but the former is reportedly close to signing Iker Lecuona.

Since joining Pramac Yamaha this season, he is currently the second-best Yamaha rider in the standings, 10 points ahead of factory rider Alex Rins.

Miller believes he has a lot to offer the Japanese brand, especially with development underway on the new V4 engine.

“I was looking forward to developing and moving forward with them to try and help them,” Miller said.

“I feel like I have a lot of information to give, a lot of input to give, and can help in a project like that.

“If they cannot see the value in that, well then, I understand and I will move on to something different.”

READ MORE – Yamaha V4 engine ‘two seconds slower’ than current MotoGP machine

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Rider movement for the 2026 WorldSBK season is well underway, with eleven names already confirmed.

The most notable confirmation is the departure of two-time WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, who will join Pramac Yamaha in MotoGP for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

Earlier in August, it was announced that MotoGP and WorldSBK race winner Danilo Petrucci will join BMW as his replacement. Who will accompany the Italian remains anyone’s guess, but it’s known that BMW has a large budget to attract talent from both WorldSBK and MotoGP.

Championship contender Nicolo Bulega agreed a one-year extension with Ducati, but the Bologna marque is undecided on whether to retain two-time series champion Alvaro Bautista.

While Sam Lowes and Ryan Vickers will remain with Elf Marc VDS and Motocorsa Racing, respectively, two Ducati seats remain up for grabs at Barni Spark Racing and Team GoEleven.

It is understood that six-time champion Jonathan Rea is Barni’s preferred option to replace Petrucci, while GoEleven is assessing its options after announcing it will end its partnership with Andrea Iannone at the end of 2025.

Rea’s Yamaha team-mate, Andrea Locatelli, was the first to ink a two-year extension with the Japanese marque, while the Northern Irishman has yet to agree on a renewal. Sources reveal Rea is keen to ride a Panigale in 2026.

The Yamaha Motoxracing team has yet to announce its official lineup, but GRT Yamaha will promote Stefano Manzi from WorldSSP to join Australian Remy Gardner.

Neither factory Honda nor Petronas Honda has confirmed any of its four seats on offer, but Moto2 race winner Jake Dixon is strongly linked with a move to the Superbike paddock.

Spaniard Iker Lecuona is also on the radar of Barni Spark and the second BMW seat.

After rejoining the series this year, Bimota by Kawasaki announced earlier in the season that it will retain Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani for 2026. Kawasaki’s Garrett Gerloff will remain with the team as well.

READ MORE – Danilo Petrucci explains rationale behind BMW WorldSBK switch

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Danilo Petrucci’s switch to BMW for the 2026 WorldSBK Championship sees big goals envisaged for the Italian.

After three years with the Barni Spark Racing Team aboard a Ducati, Petrucci will switch from Italian to German machinery in 2026.

His move to the Bavarian brand sees him work in a factory setup for the first time since 2020, when he and Andrea Dovizioso represented the factory Ducati in MotoGP.

The agreement sees the 34-year-old sign only a one-year deal due to BMW’s existing contract structure, but the Italian is hopeful of improving on his current provisional best of third in this year’s championship.

“I’m proud and very happy to be a factory rider again,” Petrucci stated to Speedweek.

“BMW was both an easy choice, but also a difficult one. It was easy because you can’t say no to a factory team, especially not to a world championship-winning bike.

“This bike is extremely fast with Toprak [Razgatlioglu] – if I look at the overall standings, there’s one bike better than mine, and that’s the BMW.

“The safe choice for me would have been to stay with Barni. But I’ve always liked challenges. I have to take this step to move up.

“I want to try to be competitive with this bike and fight for the world championship title. This year I’m third, but way behind the top two.

“I want to see if I can be a title contender.”

Danilo Petrucci: BMW switch will be ‘one of the biggest challenges of my entire life’

Petrucci understands that the task ahead of him will be extremely challenging, considering WorldSBK championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu is the standout performer on the BMW.

Although the two-time champion produced a surprise title win last season, he has arguably elevated his performance even further this year, thanks in part to BMW’s revised chassis.

In contrast, teammate Michael van der Mark is 15th in the standings and still searching for a podium finish in 2025, raising questions for Petrucci about the true competitiveness of the M1000RR.

“”My expectation is that I can improve my performance. It will be tough – one of the biggest challenges of my entire life,” Petrucci admitted.

“It reminds me of the end of 2019, when I joined Ducati’s MotoGP factory team as a replacement for Jorge Lorenzo.

“That was also very difficult. I want to improve on my performances from this year, but I also know that Toprak is doing an amazing job.

“He’s on another planet, as he showed again in Hungary. That makes me curious to ride this bike and see how fast I can be with it. Maybe it will be very difficult and tough for me, but I want to fight for the world title.”

READ MORE – Danilo Petrucci switches to BMW for 2026 WorldSBK season

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Danilo Petrucci will replace the departing Toprak Razgatlioglu at BMW for the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Petrucci joined the WorldSBK paddock in 2023, reuniting with the Barni Spark Racing Team where he began his career in the Superstock 1000 Cup. He finished seventh and fifth in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

In 2025, however, he currently sits third in the 2025 classification charts, behind title protagonists Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega.

The switch over to the Bavarian brand means Petrucci will now move to factory machinery for the first time in WorldSBK.

Speedweek’s report stated that a verbal agreement had been reached between the two parties at the inaugural Balaton Park round.

Now that it’s been officially announced by both parties, Petrucci stated: “I’m really happy to join BMW Motorrad Motorsport for the next season in World Superbike and proud that I will ride the bike that currently bears the number one.

“It was my target to ride a factory bike because I really want to fight for the World Championship title. So, I think that this is the step that I needed to get in the position to achieve that goal.

“I can’t wait to join the team, and I want to thank everyone at BMW and all those people at home who support me.

“I also want to thank the Barni Spark Racing Team for these three years in World Superbike and that they enabled me to get into a factory team, which has been my target.”

As BMW has yet to reaffirm its commitment to the series beyond 2026, the Italian has signed only a one-year deal.

Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Danilo Petrucci to our BMW Motorrad Motorsport family in 2026.

“We are confident that we can continue our success story in WorldSBK with Danilo. His move to BMW Motorrad Motorsport is more than just a new contract – it is a recognition of his hard work throughout his career.

“Danilo has more than earned his place as a factory rider, and we are convinced that his passion and skill will help lead our team into the future.

“His impressive career across various motorsport disciplines is a testament to his talent and ability to perform under the most demanding conditions.

“Danilo has not only excelled on the track but has also won the hearts of fans with his unique character and authenticity.

“He’s a true fighter who never gives up, and his positive attitude inspires not only his team but everyone who follows him.

“We look forward to the challenges and successes ahead, and we are proud to soon have Petrux as a member of our BMW Motorrad Motorsport family.”

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Go Eleven Ducati has confirmed that Andrea Iannone will leave the team at the end of the 2025 WorldSBK season.

The 35-year-old joined the WorldSBK paddock for the first time in 2024 as he returned to racing after four years on the sidelines due to a doping ban.

As he returned on arguably the most competitive bike on the grid, Iannone managed just one victory and seven podiums in 51 races.

Although four rounds remain after the summer break, Go Eleven has opted to end its two-year partnership with Iannone at the end of the 2025 season.

“I think after two years together, our time with Andrea has come to an end,” Go Eleven team manager Denis Sacchetti told GPOne.

“We’re looking at alternatives for 2026. We certainly shared a good adventure and we’re happy about that.

“What will Andrea do next year? I don’t know. In my opinion, I think it’s difficult to continue together with Go Eleven.”

Andrea Iannone ‘didn’t take advantage’ of the bike’s full potential

Go Eleven has admitted that the results fell short of the expectations it had for the former MotoGP race winner.

Iannone sits 10th in the championship, having secured only two podium finishes, which arrived at the season opener in Phillip Island.

“Unfortunately, this season has been hindered by some mistakes, falls and penalties,” Sacchetti stated.

“But now we have to think about doing well and having a good championship finish, enjoying what we can achieve, since our team is united and strong.

“Also, we’re lucky to have one of the most competitive bikes on the grid, which allows us to do well.

“Our potential was to aim for the podium in all the races, like [Danilo] Petrucci. Obviously [Nicolo] Bulega and Toprak [Razgatlioglu] were on another level, but we could’ve been right behind.

“The fact is, we didn’t take advantage of what we had.”

The Italian-based squad has yet to announce a replacement for Iannone, though Dominique Aegerter is rumoured to be under consideration.

READ MORE – Stefano Manzi signs two-year deal with GRT Yamaha in WorldSBK

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The 2026 WorldSBK calendar has been officially released, featuring 12 rounds that will run from February to October.

The most significant changes are the dates for some of the classic WorldSBK events, with Aragon receiving an earlier slot in May, while Cremona moves to September.

WorldSBK starts its season in Phillip Island once again, before heading to the Algarve International Circuit a month later for the Portuguese round. 

Assen will continue to feature in April ahead of the championship’s second visit to Balaton Park, which has moved from July to May for 2026. 

The rounds at Most and Aragon will also take place throughout May, before the Misano round in mid-June. 

Donington Park will host the final race before the summer break in July, with the championship resuming in September at Magny-Cours and Cremona. 

The only back-to-back races scheduled for the 2026 season come at the end of the campaign, with the penultimate round at Estoril on October 11, as the finale will be held in Jerez one week later.

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Danilo Petrucci was left furious with Andrea Iannone for triggering a multi-rider crash at the start of Race 1 at Balaton Park’s first WorldSBK race.

Petrucci was one of the seven riders to go down, but had to start at the back on the race restart while suffering with pain in his shoulder.

Although the Italian delivered an impressive performance to finish fifth at the inaugural WorldSBK meeting at Balaton Park, he noted that Iker Lecuona and Remy Gardner sustained injuries in the crash. Iannone himself and Garrett Gerloff later withdrew after Saturday’s action.

Petrucci suggested that Iannone’s two long-lap penalty punishment wasn’t enough and stated that it was “unacceptable” that he was allowed to restart.

“In Turn 2, Iannone hit me in the middle,” he stated to GPOne.

“For me, it is unacceptable that they let him restart after he took out six, sending two to the hospital.

“I have some pain in my shoulder and I hope it will be resolved by tomorrow. It looks like he was playing a video game, but this is not a game.

“I’m really pissed off because I lost a lot of points, although my team did a great job to get me going again and they were amazing. I could have been on the podium, but that’s okay.”

The Barni Spark Racing rider stated that there was no communication between himself and Iannone after the accident.

“No, he better stay away from me! I don’t want to talk to him, also because I have nothing to say to him and I don’t even want his apology,” he declared.

“At the end of the day, we know him, since then he comes to reporters and says things like, ‘I closed the line.’

“The fact that they gave him a double long lap penalty says it all and I think there is nothing more to add. I still don’t understand a manoeuvre like that.”

Petrucci later finished tenth in the Superpole Race, before ending the weekend in fourth place to keep himself third in the championship.

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