John McGuinness MBE, 23 time TT winner, will mark his 30th year at the Isle of Man TT Races in 2026, with the Lancashire legend among the confirmed entries alongside defending Senior TT champion Davey Todd and all time record holder Michael Dunlop. TT 2026 begins on May 25.
Jonathan Rea returns to Assen this weekend for Honda HRC, again standing in for the recovering Jake Dixon at a circuit where he has 17 wins and 25 podiums in total. Dixon is targeting a return at the Hungarian Round in May, subject to medical clearance. Assen is the most successful circuit of Rea’s legendary WorldSBK career.
Bulega’s winning streak of ten consecutive races heading into Assen is the best start to a WorldSBK season since Alvaro Bautista won 11 in a row in 2019. With six wins from six races this season alone, Bulega is also on course to challenge some of the most significant records in WorldSBK history across the remaining ten rounds.
The 2026 BSB season enters its 30th anniversary year and gets underway at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend from May 2 to 4, with two official pre season tests completed at Donington Park and a second scheduled at Oulton Park from April 22 to 23 before the competitive action begins. The 11 round season concludes at Brands Hatch in October.
Ryan Vickers says his experience in WorldSBK means he returns to BSB in 2026 as a better rider than when he left, with the Englishman having spent time on the world stage before coming back to the domestic championship. The Donington Park pre season test gave him his first laps back on British soil.
Reigning BSB champion Kyle Ryde and teammate Glenn Irwin made their debut on the new Ducati machinery at Donington Park after the Nitrous Competitions team switched from Yamaha to Ducati for 2026. Irwin is much more experienced on Ducati machinery, having finished second in the BSB championship on one in 2023, losing the title by half a point.
Yamaha Motor UK have confirmed they will resurrect a legendary livery at Brands Hatch for the 2026 BSB season, with the announcement coming as Danny Kent led the Yamaha charge on the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha team’s official debut at the Donington Park pre season test. BSB’s season opener runs at Oulton Park on May 2 to 4.
Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has hinted that change could be beneficial for Francesco Bagnaia as the two time world champion prepares to leave Ducati and join Aprilia for 2027. Bagnaia’s place at Aprilia is widely understood to be set, with the Bologna factory moving on as Acosta arrives. After crashing out of Brazil and struggling at Austin, 2026 has been one of Bagnaia’s most difficult seasons.
Jorge Martin has warned that Ducati will return to normal at the Spanish GP, saying at Jerez everything will return to normal as the European season begins. Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna branded the US GP a wake up call for the Italian manufacturer, which has just one Sunday Grand Prix podium from the opening three rounds.
Marc Marquez has been training on a Ducati Panigale V2 during the break between Austin and Jerez as he focuses on his shoulder recovery. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed the Bologna factory copied Aprilia’s rear wing concept at COTA, introducing new leg wings to the GP26. The Spanish GP at Jerez runs April 24 to 26., Marquez’s first home race of 2026.