Superbike: Barni makes it four - the best independent team again in 2026

Barbabò’s team confirms itself as the number 1 among the SBK privateers again this season: largely thanks to Montella’s results, but Bautista also tried to give his all to do his part.

Barni Racing is mathematically the best independent team in the 2026 Superbike World Championship. After the Superpole Race held at Cremona Circuit, the title is officially in the hands of the team led by Marco Barnabò, who clinches it for the third year in a row and the fourth time in its history in the category. The first dates back to 2018 with Xavi Fores as rider; today it’s the duo of Yari Montella and Alvaro Bautista who have confirmed that the Bergamo-based outfit is the best among the independents.

Clinching the title at Cremona Circuit in their home SBK round is certainly a great source of pride for the Barni Spark Racing Team, which reached 378 points in the overall standings after the Superpole Race with 14 total podiums. They hold a 159-point advantage over Elf Marc VDS, which fields only Sam Lowes. Third place for Go Eleven, which with Lorenzo Baldassarri has accumulated 184 so far (-194 compared to Barnabò’s squad).

What made the difference in 2026 were above all Montella’s fantastic results. He has matured greatly compared to a rookie 2025 that satisfied neither him nor the team. The fact that the rider from Campania also sits third in the overall riders’ standings, with thirteen total podiums, says a lot about his growth. If he manages to secure the bronze medal, it would be a historic result both for him and for the Barni Spark Racing Team, which has never placed a rider in third and wants redemption after losing it in unfortunate fashion with Danilo Petrucci in 2025.

While Montella has shone in this 2026 World Championship, Bautista has underperformed. Burdened by the usual 6–7 kilograms of ballast placed on his Ducati Panigale V4 R, the 41-year-old Spaniard hasn’t been able to deliver the expected results (just one podium, in the opening round in Australia) and will very likely lose his seat to Xavi Vierge, currently with Yamaha and close to signing a 2027 contract with Barnabò. It’s a shame to see a two-time Superbike world champion struggle so much.

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