Superbike: Barni locks in Yari Montella for 2027, Alvaro Bautista’s future uncertain

The Campania-born rider will continue racing with Barnabò’s team next year as well, a well-deserved renewal: uncertainty instead surrounds the future of the two-time WorldSBK champion.

Yari Montella and the Barni Spark Racing Team together again in the 2027 Superbike World Championship. A short while ago, the contract renewal for the Avellino-born rider was announced. He has been one of the standouts of the 2026 season after a somewhat problematic rookie year in 2025. Right from the opening round at Phillip Island he showed maturity and collected a series of excellent results (8 podiums) that have taken him to third in the overall standings and convinced Marco Barbabò to extend his contract for another year.

Montella will thus contest his fifth consecutive year with the Bergamo-based squad. He spent the first two, 2022 and 2023, in the Supersport World Championship, and the following ones in Superbike.

The 26-year-old rider can only be pleased with signing the new contract: "Securing another year with Barni was one of my goals after a mid-season like this. You could already feel in the air that there might be such an opportunity; I’m very happy and satisfied. I want to thank the team because they’ve shown faith in me for another year. With the next one, it will be five years of collaboration with Barni. In terms of continuity, for such an important project that started in Supersport, this renewal is something that makes me proud, because we’ve managed to build a relationship in which we’ve celebrated and also suffered together, strengthening the bond more and more over the years. We’re staying focused on 2026, because it’s shaping up to be an important year for me and for the team. The confirmation for 2027 as well allows me not to lose sight of the goal and to keep my focus on the current season.".

While Montella is impressing in a positive way, Alvaro Bautista is struggling. Between the limits imposed by the roughly 7-kilogram ballast on his Ducati Panigale V4 R and some physical issues, the two-time WorldSBK champion is not managing to achieve the results that he and the team had envisioned. Considering that the Spaniard is approaching 42 (he will turn 42 in November), it remains to be seen whether he will decide to retire or continue racing, regardless of whether he stays with the Barni Spark Racing Team.

If Barnabò were to decide to make a change, it will be interesting to see who he entrusts with the second Ducati in his garage. One option could be the return of Danilo Petrucci, should the rider from Terni not be retained by BMW, but there could also be other intriguing opportunities—for example, a rider leaving MotoGP.