Who could move to World Supersport in 2027? (Part 2)

When looking at the Supersport World Championship grid every year, it's easy to notice that the rookies come from a wide variety of international and even national championships. After Part 1, where I focused on riders currently competing in the Moto2 World Championship, this time I will analyze which riders could reach WorldSSP in 2027 from the Sportbike World Championship, the MotoJunior paddock or national series.

DISCLAIMER: This article contains analysis and predictions based on results and other factors. Therefore, it should not be considered as confirmed news.

WorldSPB: Closer to Supersport, but...

It's clear that the transition from Supersport 300 to Sportbike has brought significant benefits, something that's already been evident since the same change took place in national championships. Riders are now racing more powerful bikes that are much closer to Supersport machinery, while still producing great races and great stories. Above all stands David Salvador, who has already secured a ride with the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team for the 2027 Supersport World Championship.

The question mark appears when looking at other riders who could make the same move. Two particularly interesting names are youngster Antonio Torres, Salvador's teammate at ProDina Kawasaki XCI team, and more experienced Xavi Artigas from the MTM Kawasaki team, currently second and third in the standings after the opening five rounds. Both are fast and mature riders, but they are also closely tied to their respective teams and, in part, directly to Kawasaki Europe. As a result, any potential move depends largely on whether Kawasaki decides to expand its commitment in the Supersport World Championship.

If the manufacturer based in Akashi expands its WorldSSP presence beyond the team owned by Manuel Puccetti, it would not be surprising to see at least one between ProDina or MTM move up together with Torres or Artigas. For now, though, this remains purely hypothetical.

Anyway, another rider worth mentioning is Carter Thompson. The Australian has already delivered impressive performances aboard a Yamaha R7 ,that is clearly less competitive than the bikes around him. Moreover, he would also fit perfectly into Yamaha's bLU cRU program.

MotoJunior: The underrated pool

Most riders competing in MotoJunior, particularly in the Moto2 and Stock European championships, aim for a seat in the Moto2 World Championship. However, those opportunities are extremely limited, and nowadays it's already significant if even one rider manages to make that step each year. The most recent example is Alberto Ferrández.

For this reason, several riders begin looking elsewhere when realizing that the doors to Grand Prix racing are closed, and the Supersport World Championship often becomes the most attractive destination. Roberto García followed exactly this path after becoming the 2024 Moto2 European Champion, before moving to WorldSSP midway through 2025. In recent years, other riders have done the same, including Niccolò Antonelli and Piotr Biesiekirski in 2024, Harrison Voight (though only temporarily) in 2025, and Borja Jiménez and Jacopo Cretaro in 2026, just to name a few.

Lorenzo Fellon, fresh from a home victory at Magny-Cours in the Stock European Championship, has been trying to reach the Supersport World Championship for the past couple of years and could become a new addition in 2027. Another experienced rider who could return is Yeray Ruiz, who competes in the same championship as Fellon. Looking at the Moto2 European Championship, riders such as Francesco Mongiardo, Eric Fernández, Harrison Voight and Dennis Foggia, just to mention a few, could also consider WorldSSP if they fail to reach or return to the Moto2 World Championship.

It is also worth keeping an eye on Moto2 ECh riders, who currently sit inside or outside the top ten, and who are promising and/or bring financial backing. Four completely random names (and I really mean random) would be Facundo Llambias, Enej Krsevan, Johan Gimbert and Owen van Trigt.

CIV, EURO MOTO, ESBK...

Although such cases are relatively uncommon, some riders still reach WorldSSP directly from national championships. In 2026, for example, we have two time German champion Andreas Kofler and Andrea Giombini, who scored podiums in the Italian CIV Championship.

Making predictions here is particularly difficult, because of the vast number of riders and possible scenarios. Nevertheless, several names deserve attention:

• Dirk Geiger: in the opening five races of the 2026 EURO MOTO Supersport season, he collected four second places and one victory, while also making a World Championship wildcard appearance at Assen.
• Daniel Blin: another rider from the EURO MOTO Supersport Championship, he won the opening four races and seems to have found the consistency required to fight at the front every weekend.
• Marcos Ludeña: besides racing in the Moto2 European Championship, he also competes in the Spanish ESBK Supersport series, where he was already one of the leading contenders in 2025. In 2026, he sits second in the standings behind only more experienced Unai Orradre.
• Matteo Patacca: since 2025, he has consistently finished inside the top six and sometimes stood on the podium in the Italian CIV Supersport Championship. With just a little something extra, he could challenge for victories and attract even more attention, ahead of a possible move to the world stage.
• Kevin Zannoni: despite a recent dip in form and his split with Broncos Racing after the Racing Night round, the potential he showed earlier in the season, together with the point he scored as a wildcard in Race 1 at Misano, may well have caught the attention of several teams. His previous MotoE experience would not be overlooked either.

There are also riders currently shining in national Supersport championships who possess considerable experience but face one important disadvantage: their age, now around 30 or approaching it. Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Andrea Mantovani from the CIV, as well as Luke Stapleford from the British Championship (who also benefits from good financial backing) all have previous World Championship experience. However, they are now competing in national championships, and at their age, if a team has to choose between one of them and a rider coming straight from the Moto2 World Championship, the second option would be preferred, unless significant financial support comes with the deal. Other riders, both young and experienced, may simply still need more time to develop.

It is still far too early to know how the situation will evolve, but a few reasonably realistic predictions can already be made.
Before wrapping up, it is worth mentioning that there are also a couple of candidates from the Moto3 World Championship. However, those riders deserve an article of their own...