Yamaha signs Carter Thompson for new World Sportbike Championship
The grid for the inaugural FIM World Sportbike Championship (WorldSPB) is taking shape, and at least one Aussie will be on it. Carter Thompson has signed with BR Corse to race in the all-new championship after a runner-up finish in the World Supersport 300 Championship that concluded this year.
Thompson, who recently turned 18, will ride a Yamaha R7 for BR Corse in 2026 after spending the 2024 and 2025 seasons in World Supersport 300 with two different Kawasaki teams, as well as achieving success in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
The R7 has already been proven on track in multiple national-level R7 Cup series across Europe, as well as the one-make Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR).
Engineers from Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport Research & Development have been working to develop a race kit for the R7 to meet WorldSPB regulations. This package has already been tested on track in the proven hands of Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team rider, Andrea Locatelli, and reigning FIM Supersport World Champion, Stefano Manzi.
“2026 marks an exciting new chapter in World Championship motorcycle racing with the introduction of the new Sportbike class,” said Niccolo Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe. “We already know the R7 is a great platform for racing, and the team here at Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport R&D have been working hard on developing the race kit for the new Sportbike category.
“Our aim, as always, is to win, and to do this we have put together a strong rider line-up and are very pleased to have signed 2025 WorldSSP300 runner-up Carter Thompson, a promising young rider with a lot of talent!
“The new Sportbike championship will feature as a core part of Yamaha’s step-up philosophy, with the winner of the R3 BLU CRU World Cup earning a supported ride in this series. Alessandro di Persio will be the first rider to ‘step up’ from the R3 Cup to Sportbike next year.”
The inaugural FIM Sportbike World Championship will get underway at Portimao, Portugal, on 27–29 March, 2026.
