Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has pulled off a massive transfer coup, signing Alex Marquez on a multi-year deal starting in 2027. The 2025 MotoGP World Championship runner-up will depart Gresini Racing to spearhead Mattighofen's factory squad alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio, matching his experience with the RC16 prototype ahead of the sport’s highly anticipated 850cc regulatory reset.
WorldSBK star Nicolo Bulega dominated the 2026 Lenovo Race of Champions at World Ducati Week, converting pole position into a commanding victory at Misano. Riding identical Panigale V4 machinery, Bulega defeated the entire field, finishing ahead of Alberto Surra and Lorenzo Baldassarri. MotoGP top guns Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez finished a cautious fifth and twelfth, respectively.
Honda HRC claimed victory at the rain-shortened 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours, the third round of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Takumi Takahashi, Jonathan Rea and Somkiat Chantra led home Yamaha Factory Racing in second and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team in third. YART Yamaha finished fourth ahead of AutoUbe, SERT, Suzuki CN Challenge, SDG HARC-PRO, Astemo Honda and Team ATJ. The result extends Honda’s Suzuka winning streak to five consecutive years.
Six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea led Team HRC to pole position for the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours. Setting the weekend's fastest single lap at 2m 04.422s, Rea teamed with Takumi Takahashi and Somkiat Chantra to lock down the top spot. A rain-cancelled Saturday Top 10 Trial ensured their Friday two-rider average time of 2m 04.738s secured pole.
Volkswagen has not ruled out selling Ducati as the German automotive group faces one of the largest restructurings in its history, including plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs and close four factories. Investment bankers are reportedly urging Volkswagen to consider selling Ducati after raising 7.4 billion euros through its Everllence marine engine business sale. No formal sale process exists. Ducati remains contracted to compete in MotoGP through 2030 regardless of ownership. A supervisory board decision is expected on July 9.
Gresini Racing has announced a complete rider overhaul for the 2027 season, signing 2020 World Champion Joan Mir and Moto2 prospect Daniel Holgado on two-year contracts. Mir ends a grueling, crash-heavy four-year stint with Honda HRC to secure a factory-spec Ducati Desmosedici. The fresh all-Spanish duo replaces outbound riders Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer.
The owner of Phillip Island, businessman Lindsay Fox, may turn the circuit into a golf course after losing both MotoGP from 2027 and WorldSBK from 2028. Circuit designer Bob Barnard raised the alarm in an open letter, warning Australia risks losing both Phillip Island and Adelaide’s parklands heritage simultaneously. Fox is already engaged in attempting to build a new circuit at Avalon in Victoria. Phillip Island has hosted MotoGP since 1989. The 2026 Australian GP will be the last. No confirmation from Fox has been issued.
Marc Marquez has confirmed he held an informal conversation with Honda at last season’s Valencia Grand Prix about a 2027 return. The reigning world champion told DAZN Spain the meeting took place inside HRC hospitality but never reached formal negotiations. He said Honda is always Honda but Ducati listened first and made him feel respected. Marquez signed a new two-year Ducati deal last week. He called a Honda return romantic but said he had to use his head not his heart.
Alex Rins has expressed deep frustration over Yamaha’s vague technical roadmap after managing a hard-fought ninth-place finish at Assen. While Iwata officials promised crucial performance upgrades for the struggling 1,000cc V4 prototype before the 2026 season ends, Rins admitted he has completely been left in the dark regarding the exact timeline or which rider will actually receive them.
Toprak Razgatlioglu’s race ended early after a severe chattering issue forced him to return to the pits. The Yamaha rider said he felt competitive after recovering from the back of the grid and believed he had the pace to challenge for a top-10 finish. He was encouraged by improvements in braking and cornering, adding that the team will investigate the problem and continue working to improve.