Benato Fernandes expressed his excitement for the 2026 World Sportbike season, just as he did for the 2025 World SSP300 Championship, emphasizing that he enters it with “no expectations.” The 2025 season marked Fernandes’ debut in the WorldSSP300, which also happened to be the final year of the championship that began in 2017.
Despite being a newcomer, Fernandes quickly made a name for himself by securing pole position in the opening race in Portugal and winning the very next race. He clinched the championship in a dramatic final race at Jerez, where he made a daring four-wide pass in the last corner to take both the race win and the title.
Starting the season with no particular expectations, Fernandes’ success has influenced his outlook for 2026, the year the Supersport 300 class will be replaced by the new World Sportbike category as the third level of the World Superbike hierarchy. Speaking at the EICMA show in Milan, Fernandes said, “Just like at the beginning of the year, I don’t have any expectations. I didn’t expect anything.” His main goal remains to do his best and be happy with his efforts, pushing himself to improve with every race and working closely with his team.
Fernandes also revealed plans for early 2026 testing on the Kobe 450RR bike, which he will race next season and was previously used by Casey O’Gorman in the 2025 BSB Sportsbike Championship. “I had never ridden a motorcycle like this before,” Fernandes admitted. “I watched the races at BSB, but I don’t know what will happen. Right now, I don’t have any feelings. We expect to get the bike early in 2026, so I want to test it and work with the team to get familiar with the bike before racing.”
Fan Take: This news is thrilling for racing fans as it highlights the rise of a fresh talent ready to take on a new and evolving class. Fernandes’ calm and determined approach could inspire a new wave of competitive spirit, potentially reshaping the future of the World Sportbike category.
