SBK 2026, Barni Spark team unveiled: big ambitions with the Bautista–Montella duo

Barni Spark is the first Superbike team to unveil its 2026 season: with Bautista and Montella there’s a strong desire to do well.

While waiting for the Jerez test scheduled for January 21–22, SBK team presentations are getting underway. Today it’s the turn of the Barni Spark Racing Team, the best independent outfit of the last two championships. In 2025 they doubled the Ducati Panigale V4 R bikes in their garage, and there will be two again in 2026. But instead of Danilo Petrucci, who has moved to BMW, two-time world champion Alvaro Bautista will join the confirmed Yari Montella.

The Barni Spark Racing Team presentation took place at Ruote da Sogno in Reggio Emilia. The livery has been refreshed for Marco Barnabò’s squad, which is celebrating its thirtieth year in racing. Compared to recent seasons, there’s more red and less black on the bike and on the riders’ suits.

Bautista comes off some successful years with the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team and is highly motivated for his first adventure with an independent structure in World Superbike. With the new Panigale V4 R he will try to be one of the main protagonists of the championship, overcoming even the hurdle of the roughly 6 kg ballast he’ll be forced to carry. Certainly, the Barni Spark Racing Team expects a lot from him.

The Spaniard doesn’t want to disappoint and will also be able to count on important technical support from Ducati: "I’m very excited for this new challenge. There will certainly be many changes—a new team and a new working group. It won’t be easy at the beginning, but I believe that with commitment and ambition you can achieve anything. I’m also very happy to become part of the Barni family, because from the outside you can sense a very close-knit team, constantly growing and increasingly competitive. Barni is someone who wants to win and is very determined, a great motivator for riders. I believe we can do an excellent job together. I feel very charged up, both physically and mentally, and I’m ready to give 100%. We need to work to find the right feeling and understand how to best manage the new bike. The official support from Ducati is also fundamental, as it represents a great added value. I’m very excited and I hope that, together, we can achieve excellent results and positions, but above all enjoy ourselves while doing our job."

Montella made his SBK debut in 2025 and in his second year in the category he’s expected to grow and deliver better results. Barnabò expects a lot from him as well, and the Italian rider is fully aware of it: "We are preparing well for the 2026 season. I’m focused on the work we need to do and, thanks to the experience gained in 2025, we are working to strengthen our weak points and be ready. The goal is to improve on what we did last season, also because 2026 will be important for my personal and professional development. I’m focused, but calm and really eager to get started. It will also be very stimulating to share the garage with a rider like Álvaro; I will certainly have the opportunity to learn and compare different methods. I’ll try to absorb as much as possible."

"I’m very proud of the position my team and I have reached. The upcoming season is particularly important: in 2026 we’ll start with a completely new bike, just unveiled by Ducati, and with two riders competing in the Superbike category. For a private team, this is a significant milestone as well as a demanding challenge.