Yamaha Confirms Ten Kate Departure After Eight Seasons
Yamaha Motor Europe has officially confirmed that its partnership with Ten Kate Racing will conclude at the end of the 2026 FIM Supersport World Championship season, bringing an eight-year collaboration to a close. The Dutch team, one of the most successful in the history of the category, is widely expected to switch to Chinese manufacturer QJ Motor for 2027, according to reports first surfaced by GPOne earlier this month.
The announcement, made on October 21, 2026, ends a relationship that began in 2019 when Ten Kate returned to the World Superbike Championship with Loris Baz riding the Yamaha R1. The partnership later expanded to Supersport in 2020 and yielded three world titles, 48 race wins, and 99 podium finishes in WorldSSP, plus four Superbike podiums.
Key Figures and Reactions
Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe’s division manager for motorsport, expressed mixed emotions about the split. “We would like to thank Ten Kate for everything over the past eight seasons,” Dosoli said. “Their record in the Supersport World Championship spoke for itself before they joined Yamaha in 2019, and adding three World Championship titles to the tally has contributed towards Yamaha becoming the most successful manufacturer in WorldSSP history. We are disappointed to see them choose a new direction for 2027 but must thank Ronald and Gerrit Ten Kate and their team for all their efforts over the past eight years.”
Ten Kate’s departure marks the end of a period that saw the team reclaim its status as a dominant force in Supersport. After being left out of Honda’s factory WorldSBK plans in 2020, the Dutch outfit pivoted to Supersport and quickly returned to winning ways with Dominique Aegerter, who secured back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Stefano Manzi then added a third championship in 2025, the first year of the Yamaha YZF-R9 in the class. In 2026, Can Öncü added one more victory and eight podiums to the team’s tally.
A Legacy of Success and a New Direction
The Ten Kate name is synonymous with Supersport excellence. Between 2002 and 2014, the team won nine World Supersport titles with Honda’s CBR600RR, and in 2007 it also claimed the WorldSBK crown with James Toseland aboard the CBR1000RR. When Honda returned as a full factory team in 2020, Ten Kate was left without a premier-class ride, prompting the move to Yamaha.
That partnership proved fruitful, particularly in Supersport. Aegerter’s 27 wins in 44 races during the 2021 and 2022 seasons set a new benchmark, and Manzi’s 2025 title run—11 wins from 24 races—cemented the team’s legacy with Yamaha. The R9’s debut championship also underscored Yamaha’s engineering prowess in the production-based class.
However, the 2026 season saw a shift in momentum. While the R9 won again with AS Racing’s Albert Arenas, Ten Kate’s Öncü finished fourth in the standings, beaten to third by Jeremy Alcoba at the final round. That result, combined with Ten Kate’s desire for a new challenge, paved the way for the split.
QJ Motor: A Rising Chinese Force
Ten Kate’s expected move to QJ Motor signals the growing presence of Chinese manufacturers in production-based racing. QJ Motor entered the Supersport class in 2024 but has yet to score a podium. In contrast, rival Chinese brand ZX Moto, which debuted in 2026 with the Evan Bros team, finished second in the standings with Valentin Debise. The Dutch team’s decision mirrors Evan Bros Racing’s switch from Yamaha to ZXMoto, highlighting a trend of established teams partnering with emerging Asian brands.
For QJ Motor, securing a team of Ten Kate’s caliber represents a significant coup. The Dutch outfit brings decades of experience, a proven development program, and a winning culture. For Ten Kate, the move offers a clean-sheet project with a manufacturer eager to establish itself in the WorldSBK paddock.
Broader Implications for WorldSSP and Yamaha
The end of the Yamaha-Ten Kate partnership raises questions about Yamaha’s future in Supersport. The Japanese manufacturer remains the most successful in WorldSSP history, but the loss of its most decorated team could weaken its presence. Yamaha still supplies bikes to several teams, including AS Racing, which won the 2026 title with Arenas, but Ten Kate’s departure leaves a void in terms of development and prestige.
For the championship, the shift reflects a broader trend: Chinese manufacturers are investing heavily in motorsport to boost brand recognition and technical credibility. QJ Motor and ZX Moto are following a playbook similar to that of Japanese and European brands in previous decades, using racing as a platform to showcase reliability and performance. If Ten Kate can help QJ Motor become competitive, it could accelerate the brand’s global ambitions.
Meanwhile, Yamaha will need to regroup. The manufacturer has not announced a replacement for Ten Kate, but it is expected to continue supporting its satellite teams. The loss of a partner that contributed 48 wins and three titles in just seven Supersport seasons is significant, but Yamaha’s commitment to the class remains strong.
As the 2026 season draws to a close, all eyes will be on Ten Kate’s next chapter and whether the Dutch team can replicate its past success with a new manufacturer. For now, the paddock bids farewell to one of its most fruitful partnerships—a union that delivered titles, victories, and a lasting legacy in Supersport racing.
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