Spanish rider Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) enjoyed another strong round in the 2026 FIM Sportbike World Championship, landing his second win of the category’s inaugural season at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. His rostrum-topping Race 2 performance spells two wins in the last three rounds as the #24 looks to continue trying to close down Championship leader David Salvador's (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) title lead. The #38 still leads his compatriot by 30 points with four races left to ride, but if he can keep winning, Artigas may take the Championship down to the wire.
REAR-GUNNING FROM TORRES SHOWS ARTIGAS TO P4
Starting the weekend from the front row after his P3 placement in the Tissot Superpole session, he started Race 1 strong with an opening lap move on Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) to take P2. He battled bar to bar at Turn 5 with Salvador on the next lap, even briefly leading on Lap 3 after a Turn 5 move until again the #38 returned the favor in the final sector. He fell to P5 on Lap 4, and while he clawed his way back to the podium positions by Lap 8, Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) passed him with two laps to go, helping out his title-leading teammate by showing Artigas to P4.
“I ASKED THE TEAM FOR SOME IMPROVEMENT WITH THE BRAKING, AND THEY DID IT THEIR WORK WAS AMAZING”
The Spaniard started on Sunday back in P11, and while he still lingered back in P10 after three laps, on Lap 5, he found a way past Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing), Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) and Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph), improving again a lap later as he passed Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) to ride in the top five for the first time in the race. After three laps to catch his breath, Artigas leapt forward again in a single lap; passing Pepe Osuna (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) , Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph), Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) and Salvador, catapulting him to P1. He held that position into the last lap, where at the head of the five-rider pack, he fell down to P5 on the run into Turn 5 but got a great run out onto the back straight to regain the lead. As the lap continued, he held the lead until Salvador cut by on the inside of Turn 13, with Thompson following him through on the run to the Chateau d’Eau. Artigas put the knife between his teeth as he rode a wider line alongside the Spaniard and the Aussie, cutting across from the outside across their noses to seal the weekend with a Race 2 win.
On his Race 2, general feelings from the weekend, and his hopes of a 2026 world title, Artigas said: “I’m really happy about the race, but I’m happier about improving from 11th place. On Saturday, we didn’t have a super good lap time, but today we laid down a new lap record. I struggled at the start of each race. On Saturday, I asked the team for some improvement with the braking, and they did just that. I’m really happy, their work was amazing. I saw I was in P9 after three laps; Salvador was pushing hard ahead of me. I pushed hard and overtook other riders well, and when I reached Vannucci, I saw I was only about a second back. In the last laps, I tried to break from the group, but with these long straights, that’s very difficult. I know that braking is my strong suit, and I used it until the end. The goal is still to win the World Championship. I feel confident because I see that no one has a step on me, the team is working well, and I think Cremona is a track we do well at.”
Artigas and Salvador will battle it out at Cremona starting on Friday, September 25th! Tune in with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!