Kawasaki triumphs in Supersport and impresses in Superbike: Puccetti recounts the Cremona weekend

Positive weekend for Kawasaki at Cremona Circuit: a perfect SSP round with Alcoba, solid SBK results with Gerloff. Interview with Puccetti.

Not being confirmed for 2027 didn’t knock Jeremy Alcoba, who took pole position and a double win at Cremona. The Spanish rider brought Kawasaki back to the top step of the Supersport podium after three years: the previous victory was by Can Öncü in Race 1 at the Indonesia round in 2023. For Alcoba, still without a team for next year, these were his first WorldSSP wins.

Great joy for team principal Manuel Puccetti, who at the Cremona Circuit could also smile at what his Superbike squad achieved with Garrett Gerloff, fifth in Race 1 and then eighth in a Race 2 contested with some physical soreness after being taken out by Lorenzo Baldassarri in the Superpole Race. We talked about all this with Puccetti.

“It was a memorable weekend. At our home round we took pole position and two wins in Supersport. And, considering the top-5 finish in Superbike as well, I’d say we couldn’t have hoped for more. We carried out three tests at the Cremona Circuit: one in March, one in June, and one at the end of August. The work we did definitely allowed us to prepare well for the race weekend. Over the year we matured nicely. In Supersport we made the podium at Donington, while at Magny-Cours we finished one second from the winner in Race 2. Alcoba went through a process of adaptation and growth that ultimately blossomed at Cremona.”

“With the signing of Masia we completed our line-up for 2027, so it’s possible that our announcement pushed Alcoba to try even harder, with the need to find a new seat. I’m sure that, with the talent he has, he’ll find a good solution for next year. He’s a good guy and a good rider; we invested in him for two years and he’s part of the list of riders we’ve brought into Supersport from Moto2. The first was Krummenacher, then came Oettl and Montella. The latest was Alcoba, with whom we’ve had a good journey.”

After announcing Salvador, you also made Masia official for the 2027 Supersport season. What led you to bet on the current Orelac team rider?

“I think Jaume can be competitive right away; he’s highly motivated. He was the 2023 Moto3 world champion, he’s 25, and I’m convinced he can have an excellent season together with Kawasaki. Salvador may need a period of adaptation to Supersport, but I don’t expect it to be too long, given that in Sportbike he already uses the Ninja ZX-6R 636.”

“We’ve had fifteen top-10s in 2026. In a championship with so many competitive Ducatis, managing three top-5s—one of which right at Cremona—is a great result. Garrett rode Race 2 very banged up physically due to the incident caused by Baldassarri in the Superpole Race, yet he still managed to secure a good eighth place at the finish. In general, when you can be the first rider behind the Ducatis, you’ve done the maximum you could do.”

“We’re trying to think race by race and get the most out of each. In the last two rounds of the calendar we’ll try to be the first behind the Ducatis and to gain points on BMW and Yamaha. Then we’ll see where we end up.”

“It’s not happening; that’s final. I discussed it with Kawasaki and I’ll try again to convince them for the future. Having another bike and another rider would allow us to do even better.”

“A wonderful story—Nicolò is a great rider, very serious and professional. He had lost his way in the World Championship paddock, then thanks to a great path with Ducati all his talent came out in WorldSBK. I can say he’s also a delightful person, and I’m happy he finally managed to bloom. He deserved the 2026 title and he also deserves the MotoGP opportunity; I wish him all the best. He’ll head into the 2027 season as the rider with the most kilometers on the 850 bike and Pirelli tires thanks to the tests he’s done; it would be nice if he could be competitive in MotoGP.”

“No, I didn’t expect it. I congratulated Lorenzo Mauri for the progress made by the Motocorsa team’s rider in his first year in Superbike. Managing to get on the podium as well is something tremendous. Surra is young and really good; he has talent. Another beautiful Italian story that’s blossoming—I’m happy about it.”