Xavi Vierge has been announced by Yamaha to replace Jonathan Rea in the 2026 World SBK season.
Vierge will be participating from Honda. Honda has spent all four seasons with World Superbike so far. He will partner with Andrea Rocatelli, who has been in Yamaha at Worldsub since 2021.
A statement from Yamaha, which announced Vierge, only mentions the 2026 season, confirming that Vierge will acquire its first taste of R1 in the post-race test at Geres in October.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Xavi Vierge, who will see him join the Patamaxus Yamaha World official team in 2026,” said Nicolo Kanepa, Yamaha Motor Europe Racing Sports Manager.
“He brings a lot of experience to our project, both from his time on the Superbike and at Grand Prix races.
“We are excited to see what he can achieve and look forward to starting our journey together.
“We’re working hard on the development of the R1 over the winter, with Vierge joining Locatelli at Patamax Yamaha, Manzi joining Gytr Grt Yamaha’s Gardner ascending from Supersport, and next year we’ll have four young, hungry riders on the bike.
Vierge’s signature has closed another door at the 2026 WorldSBK Rider Market, with Yamaha confirming all four official riders for the upcoming season, and Stefano Manzi moved from Supersport to GRT’s partner Remy Gardner.
Vierge’s departure from Honda was already announced before the Aragon round held this weekend. While Japan’s Mark has yet to announce its 2026 lineup, it is believed that Jake Dixon and Sonkiat Chantra will form a whole new lineup for HRC next year.