Alessandro Delbianco increasingly a Yamaha man: test rider and full-time Endurance rider

Yamaha is betting big on Alessandro Delbianco: he will be a full-time rider in Endurance and a test rider for the Superbike World Championship.

After spending a season as a "reserve" rider, contesting last September’s Bol d’Or as a replacement for the injured Randy De Puniet, Alessandro Delbianco will be an integral part of the ELF Marc VDS Racing Team/KM99’s main squad for the entire 2026 FIM Endurance World Championship season. The rider from Rimini, who clinched the 2025 CIV Superbike title with DMR Racing, has earned the trust to compete full-time in the top EWC class with the Yamaha R1 #99 fielded by the Belgian outfit.

In just under five years, the KM99 team has rapidly climbed the ranks of the Endurance World Championship. After finishing tenth in the standings in their 2023 debut, the following year the Dunlop-shod R1 #99 took a historic second place at the Bol d’Or and, above all, the final victory in the classification reserved for independent teams, finding in Marc VDS a generous and key partner. With a rider line-up well suited to the discipline, the goal for the 2026 FIM EWC is a top-five overall, and where possible, a push for the podium despite fierce competition from the factory squads.

The undisputed dominator of the latest CIV Superbike season, with a sensational record of nine wins and two second places from 13 races, Alessandro Delbianco will effectively take over Jeremy Guarnoni’s seat. With the 2018/2019 Endurance World Champion (with Kawasaki SRC) heading elsewhere, "DB52" will line up alongside the confirmed Florian Marino and Randy De Puniet, plus former Moto2 World Championship rider Bo Bendsneyder, signed by Marc VDS/KM99 as a “reserve” for the 24-hour races (Le Mans and Bol d’Or).

In addition to this new primary commitment in the FIM EWC, Alessandro Delbianco will further strengthen his ties with Yamaha. In 2026 he will compete in the (revamped) CIV Superbike, likely again with DMR Racing, albeit on a “part-time” basis. Due to overlaps between the two championships, he will limit his appearances in the Italian series to only four scheduled rounds. Specifically, he will skip the events at Imola (June 5–7) and Cremona (September 18–20), making his personal ambitions to defend the title virtually unfeasible. The main novelty, however, is his appointment as Yamaha’s test rider (as well as a luxury stand-in if needed) for the Superbike World Championship. An important endorsement backed by Niccolò Canepa, current Road Racing Sporting Manager of Yamaha Motor Europe, on the sidelines of the documentary produced by the manufacturer to celebrate the recent success of the 28-year-old from Rimini in the CIV.

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