The 2026 WorldSBK season has witnessed a remarkable redemption story from Yari Montella, who silenced his doubters with a sensational campaign. During his rookie year, the Italian rider struggled heavily, retiring from twelve out of thirty-six races mostly due to self-inflicted crashes, which ultimately left him down in eighteenth place in the overall standings.
Fast forward to the current season, and the narrative has completely flipped under the Barni Racing Team banner. Starting strong with a second-place finish at the Phillip Island season opener, the privateer Ducati rider consistently fought at the sharp end of the grid from Most onward, racking up fourteen top-three finishes to arrive at the Jerez finale safely sitting third in the championship.
"Schon irgendwie beeindruckend und kaum zu glauben," Montella reflected on Saturday afternoon regarding his monumental rise. "Hatte mir das jemand vor der Saison gesagt, hatte ich ihn wohl fur verruckt erklart. Aber manchmal werden traume wahr und wer weiß, vielleicht kann ich im nachsten um den Titel kampfen."
Securing third in the standings alongside top independent team honours marks a historic milestone for the private outfit. Although a fierce battle for third position against Aruba.it factory rider Iker Lecuona faded in the latter stages due to tyre wear—slipping behind teammate Alvaro Bautista to finish fifth—the overarching achievement remains pristine.
"Wir sind WM-Dritter, das freut mich wirklich, aber mit meinem Rennen war ich nicht zufrieden," Montella concluded, addressing his final race pace. "Ich hatte große probleme mit der front und habe kurz vor dem ende noch den vierten platz verloren und bin funfter geworden. Aber sechs sekunden hinter dem sieger in den top-5 ins ziel zu kommen, ist keine katastrophe."
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