From Yamaha to Honda: a historic shift for AG Motorsport Italia in the Sportbike class

AG Motorsport Italia leaves Yamaha after 13 years to embrace the Honda cause, David Salvador on pole in the World Sportbike at Misano.

For the fifth round of the season, the World Sportbike heads to the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for a weekend packed with talking points. Three riders covered by just 17 points in the standings, the magic of the Riviera Romagnola, the typical big-event crowd, and a starting grid featuring a few notable changes. For the latter, the focus is mainly on the PATA AG Motorsport Italia team, which has suddenly tied itself to a new manufacturer without any prior notice.

A watershed moment. With a press release issued on the eve of the weekend, AG Motorsport Italia announced the immediate end of its partnership with Yamaha, embracing Honda for the remainder of the 2026 WorldSPB season. After 13 years of success between the CIV and WorldSBK, Alessandra Gambardella’s outfit will no longer officially represent the House of the Three Tuning Forks, while confirming its commitment to Yamaha one-make series: the R3 BLU CRU World Cup (with Greg Marshall) and the Women’s World Championship (with Denise Dal Zotto). A long collaboration that produced two Italian titles (Sport 4T with Pedro Castano Illan in 2016 and Supersport 300 with Matteo Vannucci in 2021) in addition to several victories in the now-defunct WorldSSP300. Still on Yamaha’s behalf, AG previously organized the R 125 Cup and, more recently, the R3 Cup within the Coppa Italia Velocità.

The start of the season offered AG Motorsport very few satisfactions. Taiyo Aksu, a globetrotter with experience in the national series of Japan, Australia, and Spain, sits twenty-ninth overall with a fifteenth place as his best result. Performances below expectations and, arguably, the limits shown by the R7 in Sportbike trim convinced the team to take corrective action. “We are proud to embark on this new chapter in the World Sportbike with Honda,” admitted Alessandra Gambardella, Team Principal of AG Motorsport Italia. “A decision that reflects our desire to continue growing our racing program. We will face this challenge with strength and determination. We want to demonstrate our capabilities on track for the rest of the season.”

The sensational switch from Yamaha to Honda seems to have already produced the hoped-for effects. Taiyo Aksu, in his personal debut with the CBR 600RR, set the fourteenth fastest time in Misano’s Tissot Superpole. A solid step forward for the young Japanese-Australian rider, who had the satisfaction of finishing ahead of race winners like Ferre Fleerackers (15th) and Loris Veneman (16th), with plenty of potential to climb further up the order. At the top of the timesheets, unsurprisingly, stands David Salvador, securing his third consecutive pole with the Team Prodina XCI Kawasaki Ninja 636. With a 1'42"280, the championship leader got the better of two Aprilias ridden by a feisty Italian duo. On one side, wild card Filippo Bianchi (Team MMP Velocità), a superb second with the only sour note being a heavy crash at Rio. On the other, Matteo Vannucci (REVO-M2 Racing), seeking answers after the incident with Antonio Torres (8th) in Race 2 at Aragon. Carter Thompson will lead the second row, on track with the new-generation Yamaha R7 fielded by Team Br Corse, alongside Bruno Ieraci and Jeffrey Buis. Elia Bartolini will start seventh in Race 1.