WorldSSP] Hiroo Okamoto takes on the challenge of his second season in the Supersport World Championship with the YZF-R9!

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. has decided to extend its contract with Hiroo Okamoto to continue competing in the Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) in 2026 on the "YZF-R9" from the "Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing WorldSSP Supported Team.

Hiroo Okamoto and the Supersport World Championship

In 2024, Okamoto will compete in the JSB1000, the highest class of the All Japan Road Race Championship, from the "YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM. In 2025, he began full participation in the WorldSSP, his first world championship.Okamoto missed the opening round of the season in Australia due to an injury sustained in a crash caused by oil spilled from another car during a test held just prior to the opening round in Australia, but he started competing in the following round in Portugal. During the season, he worked together with his team and boldly took on the challenge of racing on circuits he had never raced on before, using the YZF-R9 and Pirelli tires for the first time.Next season, Okamoto's teammate will be Stefano Manzi, who won the WorldSSP championship this year, and will be replaced by the young Kang On-chu, who won 6 races this season and finished 2nd in the ranking. He is aiming to step up from 2025 while absorbing much from his strong teammates.The Yamaha team lineup for the 2026 WorldSSP has also been finalized. First, from the new "AS Racing" team will be Alberto Arenas, the 2020 Moto3 World Champion who competed in the Moto2 World Championship from 2021 to 2025, the 2024 Superbike 300 World Champion who will Aldi Stia Mahindra, who started competing in the WorldSSP this year and finished 17th in the ranking while missing the 9th round and beyond due to injury, will be entering his second season.From the GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team, Lucas Mahias (7th in this year's ranking) and Roberto Garcia (15th in the ranking) will continue to compete. Next season, the Yamaha team will continue to work together on the YZF-R9, aiming to achieve the triple crown of rider, manufacturer, and team.The 2026 WorldSSP is scheduled to begin in Australia on February 20-22, followed by 12 rounds in Spain from October 16-18.

Comment from Hiroo Okamoto

I got injured just before the opening round this year, and I had another serious injury mid-season. It was also my first World Championship, with new cars, tires, teams, and circuits that were all new to me.I was not able to adapt well to this new environment, and it was a tough and frustrating season. Nevertheless, I am still determined to grow even more because I was able to participate in the World Championship, which was one of my goals, and gain a lot of experience at various circuits in Europe. That is why I am truly happy to have the chance to compete in the championship for another year.Our rivals are strong in the 2026 season, but the potential of the YZF-R9 has been proven, so the rest is up to me. I will use the experience I have accumulated in my own way to prepare well during the off-season and be ready for next year's season opener so that I can show my growth to Yamaha, the team, and the fans, not to mention score points in every race, which I was unable to do this year. I look forward to your continued support.

Tetsu Ono: Comment from Satoshi Ono, General Manager of MS Strategy, Yamaha MS General Management Dept.

There was an injury just before the season opener, but it was a difficult season for rookie Okamoto. In his second year, it will be important for him to make the most of the experience he has gained over the past year. This is true not only for Okamoto, but also for Aldi, who also competed in the WorldSSP as a rookie. The world barrier is high and not easy to overcome, but we hope that the two Asian riders in particular will use the experience they have gained over the past year to overcome this barrier, and we believe that they are riders who can do so. In recent years, we have been sending several Asian riders to Europe each year through the Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship and the YAMAHA YZF-R3 Scholarship, a unique Japanese program. This is a strategic human resource development program that aims to create local heroes for potential young riders in Asia and to promote motorsports in the region. We will continue to support Okamoto and Aldi so that they will be active in the WorldSSP, as they serve as role models for the young Asian riders who flock to Europe. To the gallery (0)