It's the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for Yamaha in World Superbike. The partnership between Jonathan Rea, the most successful rider in the history of the sport, and the Japanese manufacturer will end at the end of the 2025 season. A divorce finalized after a disastrous season.
Announced with great fanfare, the partnership never worked out. The six-time world champion never found his feet on the Yamaha R1, a motorcycle incompatible with his riding style.
The results are meager, if not disastrous: a single pole position (Assen) and a single podium (3rd at Donington) constitute the worst results of the passage of Jonathan Rhea. What's more, lack of confidence has led to many falls and injuries.
While Sale announced his retirement after frantically searching for a rider for 2026, Yamaha is already preparing for the future. The manufacturer is organizing a crucial test this Wednesday at the Cremona circuit in Italy.
The Cremona test, a first step towards the Yamaha R1 2026 for Can Öncü
The 22-year-old Turk, Can Öncü, currently in WSSP under the colors of the Yamaha Evan Bros team, is the big favorite to succeed Sale alongsideAndrea Locatelli in 2026. After a serious arm injury in 2023, his time at Yamaha This year has given him a second wind and the necessary confidence.
As Toprak Razgatlioglu, his mentor Kenan Sofuoglu is behind this successful strategic change. Öncü says: “Sometimes you need to recharge your batteries, and that’s why Kenan decided to move me to Yamaha… The new team has given me new motivation »
This test is a real audition for ÖncüIf he impresses, he could well land the factory seat and make his big jump to Superbike, just a year after joining Yamaha in Supersport.
Yamaha is making a strategic shift by banking on the young Turkish guard, very talented and motivated, to relaunch its program in Superbike after the resounding failure of the star's recruitment Jonathan RheaWednesday's test will be decisive for the future of the project.
