Why isn't Iannone racing in Superbike?" Toprak Razgatlioglu's push

Winner on his debut weekend with Harley, the Abruzzo rider received several compliments: a former SBK colleague would like to see him back in the production-derived championship.

At Mugello, the spotlight was mainly on MotoGP, with Aprilia proving stronger than Ducati and Marco Bezzecchi finally fulfilling the dream of winning the Italian Grand Prix, but there’s another Italian rider who made headlines with a victory. We’re talking about Andrea Iannone, winner of Race 2 in the 2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup.

After finishing fourth in Race 1, The Maniac managed to get the better of his teammate Oscar Gutierrez and triumph in what was his debut weekend in the new category. He had done just one test, at Misano, and immediately proved competitive. Monday brought another day of testing at the Mugello Circuit, with Iannone setting the fourth-best time. More valuable laps to get comfortable with his Harley-Davidson.

In the overall Bagger World Cup standings he is seventh with 38 points, 35 behind leader Archie McDonald. Having not taken part in the first round in Austin (United States), the Abruzzo rider is playing catch-up, but there are still four rounds left (Assen, Silverstone, Aragon, and Spielberg) to try to climb the standings and maybe fight for the title. With two races per weekend, the feat isn’t impossible.

Iannone’s participation in the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup was announced on May 5, after weeks in which he hinted that his return to racing was approaching. Months earlier it had leaked that he was set to race in the new championship, but then negotiations stalled. Fortunately, he managed to find a place with the Niti Racing team and to compete starting from the Mugello round.

His original plan was to race in the Superbike World Championship in 2026 as well, but after parting ways with the Go Eleven team he was unable to secure a seat. There had been contacts with the Australian team Advocates Racing, and he had even explored the possibility of creating his own structure to be on the grid. He had entered the championship with the Cainam Racing Team (Cainam is Maniac spelled backwards, his nickname), but the plan fell through.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, who raced with him in SBK in 2024 and 2025, hopes to see him back in the production-derived series: “He’s incredible on the bagger,” reports Motosan. “He rides it very well and even set the fastest lap in the last race. I’m a fan of the Bagger World Cup, I really enjoyed watching them and I’m truly happy for him. He’s still a fast and smart rider, even if he’s always a bit crazy. I think if he had found a seat in Superbike he would always have been in the top five. I know because I raced with him and he’s still fast. I hope he finds an opportunity in Superbike.”

Iannone will turn 37 in August, and he certainly wouldn’t mind having a new opportunity in WorldSBK. Considering that Nicolò Bulega is unlikely to be there in 2027 and that there should be several changes on the grid, his return cannot be ruled out. There’s nothing concrete today, but Razgatlioglu’s hope of seeing him again in Superbike could turn into something real. In the coming months we’ll better understand what the future of The Maniac might be.