Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) wrapped up the 2026 FIM Sportbike World Championship in a dramatic and tense Race 2 at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia with an eighth-place finish. The #34 took a 13-point advantage heading into the season finale at the Pirelli Spanish Round. He was able to defeat David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) despite the #38 leading the standings for most of the season.

FIGHTING BACK

Artigas got off to a slower start than Salvador as WorldSPB started its inaugural season. He was fifth and fourth at Portimao, claimed his first podium in Race 1 at Assen, but didn’t stand on the rostrum again until Aragon. It was at the Spanish venue where his season arguably turned around, with P2 in Race 1, which left him 42 points behind Salvador, and a maiden victory in Race 2. With the #38 not scoring in Race 2, that gap was suddenly just 17 points. Salvador extended his lead again at Misano to 35 points over the #34, but Artigas outscored his rival over the final three rounds to secure the title.

“I’M SUPER EMOTIONAL… IT WAS THE MAIN GOAL FOR THE YEAR”

Reflecting on his first World Championship, Artigas said: “I feel amazing. It was the main goal for the year. I always believed in my team and myself. I came from some difficult years, and this is super special. I’m a World Champion, not everyone can say that! I’m super emotional. We hit our target. I want to thank everyone who believed in me. It’s also special to do it here in Spain with my friends, my family and my fan club. It’s amazing.”

SUMMER BREAK WORK PAYS OFF

Artigas spoke about the work they did throughout the season that allowed him to make steps in his fight back against Salvador. After Misano, Artigas was third in the standings behind Salvador and his teammate, Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI), and trailed the former by 35 points. He took five points out of Salvador’s lead in France and 18 in the penultimate round at Cremona. That meant Salvador headed to Jerez with a 12-point lead but a non-score in Race 1 in Spain meant he suddenly faced a 13-point deficit in Race 2. Despite beating Artigas, it was the MTM Kawasaki rider who claimed the title.

Discussing his journey to World Champion, Artigas said: “The first part of the season was difficult, especially the first three rounds, was a bit chaotic. It was a new category, and everything was new for everyone. We worked a lot during winter. We arrived at Portimao with the work done but there were new bikes, they opened the box the same day in the test. We struggled with some things. In the summer break, we worked a lot with some tests and did what we needed to give me the feeling on the bike that I wanted, and you can see in the last races I made a big step. I’m super happy because my team deserves it. I’m also happy for me because I always believed that I could do it.”

“I MANAGED THE RACE, I THINK VERY WELL…”

In Race 2, Thompson and Torres were able to break away from the field while Artigas and Salvador were in a big group fighting for P3. The pair were often side by side throughout the race, before Artigas settled for an eighth-place finish as he knew Salvador would need results to go his way – including Artigas falling down the order.

Summing up his title success, the Spaniard said: “When you are competitive and you start on the grid knowing you can win races and get podiums; you start to think more that you can do it. We arrived here 12 points back and the strategy this weekend was to get some points on Saturday and more on Sunday. In Race 1, we had a bit of luck and got the victory, so I was in front by 13 points. It was a different story. I managed the race, I think, very well to put some gap to first positions as I was safer for the title.”

MTM Kawasaki Team Owner Ludo Van der Veken glowed with praise for the team and their rider: “I feel amazing, it’s so crazy. All year, we were learning and working. I’m so happy with Xavi, he has so much experience. It wasn’t easy at the beginning; his stye was more of a Supersport rider and he had to change his riding style completely. We have a really professional team, and they performed until the end. I’m so proud of Xavi and the rest of them.”

Congratulate Artigas on this title using #Art1GAS on social media and re-watch the 2026 WorldSPB campaign with the WorldSBK VideoPass!