Who could make it to World Sportbike in 2027? (Part 2)
The very first season of the Sportbike World Championship has a field including many riders who already raced in World Supersport 300, but it also includes several riders coming from national championships, where the Sportbike category had already been introduced previously. In 2027, we could see a similar picture, as several interesting talents emerge in national series around Europe.
After discussing the riders coming from the R3 BLU CRU World Cup (and a short saying about WorldWCR) in Part 1, in this second part we will explore the main national championships.
DISCLAIMER: This article contains analysis and considerations based on results and other factors. Therefore, it should not be considered as confirmed news.
CIV
Starting from Italy, the 2026 season is being dominated by Filippo Bianchi. The Tuscan rider, who won the Italian Aprilia RS660 Cup in 2024, is enjoying a season to remember, with five wins from eight races in the Italian Championship and a stunning wildcard appearance in WorldSPB at Misano, where he made it to the podium in Race 1. Bianchi, who was also a title contender in CIV PreMoto3 in 2019 (against current Moto2 World Championship rider Luca Lunetta) seems to be completely at one with the Aprilia of the Team MMP Velocità and is thoroughly proving that he deserves the long awaited step up to a world championship.
Besides Bianchi, another interesting name is Giacomo Zannoni. So far, he has come close to the podium several times without managing to reach it yet, but he has also shown consistency and he has been winning the battle against his teammate, who is former WorldSSP300 rider Unai Calatayud. Zannoni is fourth in the championship behind Bianchi and former WorldSSP300 riders Emiliano Ercolani (GradaraCorse) and Samuel Di Sora (BBR Corse), and he is the highest placed non-Aprilia rider in the standings on a Kawasaki machine. His achievements and the fact he races for KRS Prodina Team, which is directly linked to the Prodina Team competing in World Sportbike (it's the team lining up Antonio Torres and David Salvador), make him a good candidate for a WorldSPB seat. With Salvador already confirmed to move up to the Supersport World Championship, Prodina could promote Zannoni and bring another Italian rider to the world stage from CIV, as Riccardo Drisaldi's team already did several times in the past.
Other riders already proving competitive in the CIV, and who could aim for a World Sportbike seat, include the aforementioned Ercolani, Di Sora and Calatayud, but there are many other names that are interesting for 2027 or 2028. Some are two time Italian Moto3 Champion Marcos Ruda, Loris Pedrotti, Mattia Virone, Michel Agazzi and Manuel Rocca. I would also mention Gabriel Tesini, who is leading the Italian Aprilia RS660 Cup and is making a name for himself.
EURO MOTO
Another championship that could provide a few riders to the Sportbike World Championship is EURO MOTO, known until 2025 as IDM. The German series is offering an interesting season in the Sportbike class, with several riders proving to be fast and capable of making the step up to the world championship.
The first name, not only because he leads the championship but also because of what he is showing on track, is Stepán Zuda. The Czech rider, who previously scored podiums but also suffered some bad luck in IDM Supersport, is getting some huge redemption on a Triumph machine and he leads the standings after five rounds, thanks to five wins and three third-place finishes out of nine races (Race 1 at Most was cancelled after two interruptions). He also scored a third and fourth place at the second round of the season in Brno, despite racing with a hand injury sustained during his wildcard appearance in WorldSPB at Most. In his case, speed and consistency are combined with the fact that he races for an experienced team such as Freudenberg RORA PALIGO Racing, which spent several years in WorldSSP300 and is aiming to return to a world championship in 2027, after deciding to focus on EURO MOTO for a year. If he continues like this, Zuda will have a concrete chance of finally returning to a world championship, either with Freudenberg or another team.
Another extremely interesting name is Tobias Kitzbichler. The 16-year-old Austrian, coming from the Northern Talent Cup, is making a name for himself with the Aprilia of the ViVa by Peuker & Streeb team, and producing performances well above expectations. Kitznichler has already been able to score several podiums and he got his first win of the season in Race 2 at Assen (although it came after track limits penalties to Ruben Bijman and Zuda). Still, Kitzbichler is showing great racing against more experienced riders, and a few people may already have noted his name. The Austrian remains realist and focused only on continuing his growth, without setting himself any major goals, but his season cannot be ignored.
Finally, I would mention two riders who are also fighting for the title and are already well known: Ruben Bijman and Jakob Rosenthaler. Bijman, who spent four seasons in the Supersport 300 World Championship, races for the Freudenberg team alongside Zuda and could also benefit from the team's desire to return to the world championship (in addition to bringing sponsorship). Rosenthaler, meanwhile, is fighting back with podiums and two wins on the Triumph of the RT Motorsports team, The Dutch team, owned by Rob Vennegoor, boasts experience in World Supersport 300 as well and is also aiming to return to the world stage.
Other championships in Europe
Besides the CIV and EURO MOTO (those I follow most closely), there are several good name for WorldSPB also in other national series around Europe.
In the Pirelli British Sportbike Championship, for example, we can mention Alfie Davidson. The rider from Lancashire was already strong in 2024 and 2025, but in 2026 he is even leading the championship with a great string of wins and podiums, ahead of Asher Durham and Harley McCabe. While Durham is now an experienced rider and is too old for a move to WorldSPB (he is 27), Davidson and McCabe were both born in 2008. Moreover, they both tried to follow the path towards MotoGP by racing in the British Talent Cup, before finding their place in Sportbike. Adon Davie is also showing speed and has reached the podium, while racing a CFMOTO (Davidson and McCabe ride Aprilia machines).
Moving on to the ESBK championship in Spain and excluding Álvaro Fuertes (who also competes in the World Championship) the highest-placed riders in the standings are former WorldSSP300 riders Hugo De Cancellis (IVR Racing Project Aprilia) and 2017 World Champion Marc García. However, they are already almost 25 and 27 years old respectively, which makes them not the most appealing profiles for a championship aimed at young riders and with 28 years as age limit (although neither was Xavi Artigas, for example). Highest chance is there for Roberto Fernández and Felipe Arredondo, with both riders fielded on Kawasaki machinery and by teams already competing in WorldSPB, namely MTM and Pons Motorsport respectively. If one of the riders from the two aforementioned teams was to change team or category, their prospects for 2027 could improve. Looking ahead, Elliot Kassigian is also an interesting prospect: the 18-year-old French rider is doing a good season with the only Triumph on the grid, fielded by Antibes Engineering.
In France, where the FSBK includes the Yamaha Challenge 700 (the French R7 Cup) the main riders emerging are Evann Plaindoux, Arthur Massy and Amaury Mizera, aged between 17 and 19. Mizera, in particular, only started his season at the third round, but since then has collected six consecutive wins, bringing him exponentially closer to Plaindoux and Massy despite having competed in fewer races. On one hand, Evann Plaindoux leads the standings and will race in the Sportbike World Championship at Magny Cours as a wildcard. On the other hand, Amaury Mizera (whose father, Éric Mizera, is a former rider and Endurance World Championship runner up) is making a strong comeback and could have a say in the title fight. We'll see who may follow the footsteps of Gabin Cazard, who moved to WorldSPB after winning the Yamaha Challenge 700 in 2025.
In conclusion, we can briefly mention the Alpe Adria International Motorcycle Championship, where Daniel Tureček is dominating the Sportbike class. The Czech rider, who previously competed as a wildcard in World Supersport 300, is dominating the championship with 170 points scored over the first seven races. Who knows whether some opportunities might open up for him, especially if he is able to bring sponsorship...
What about America and Asia?
The final part can briefly be dedicated to MotoAmerica and the Asia Road Racing Championship, the main motorcycle racing series in the United States and in Asia respectively.
As for MotoAmerica, the Twins Cup has already crowned its 2026 champion: Hank Vossberg. The 16-year-old won the title with still two races left, taking eight victories and four additional podiums in 12 races on the Aprilia of Robem Engineering. The three riders behind him in the championship are also fast and very young: Bodie Paige (16), Sam Drane (15) and Matthew Chapin (18). However, it's very unlikely that we will see one or more of these riders attempt the move to WorldSPB. In previous years, very few riders moved to Europe after competing in the MotoAmerica Twins Cup (one example is Kaleb De Keyrel in the Italian Aprilia RS660 Cup) and things have never really gone well. For them, there are surely more possibilities in MotoAmerica, especially in the Supersport class.
Looking instead at ARRC, little or nothing comes to mind when thinking about riders who could move to WorldSPB. Perhaps one name could be Thai rider Krittapat Keankum: he currently leads the Asia Production 250 with four wins from the eight races held so far and he is backed by Yamaha Thailand. Having already raced in the Supersport World Championship in 2024, and as a wildcard or substitute rider in World Supersport 300, Keankum is certainly aiming to return to a world championship. Other than that, there is not much to mention, although in the long term NitiRacing (which collaborates with the ProGP team in the Sportbike World Championship) is trying to develop Indonesian talent within the Mandalika Racing Series.
This has been quite a long roundup, but I hope I have given you an overview of the riders to keep an eye on in the national championships, and whose potential and results could take them to the world stage.
See you soon!
