Australia’s Carter Thompson claimed a sensational maiden FIM Sportbike World Championship victory at Cremona, delivering the first race win for the new 2026 Yamaha R7 in commanding fashion. Following a hard-fought fifth place in Saturday’s opening race, the Team BrCorse rider returned for Race 2 determined to make his pace count. Thompson took the lead on lap four and never looked back, eventually crossing the line 5.305 seconds clear of Xavi Artigas. It capped an impressive weekend for the Australian, who had also topped Free Practice and secured pole position.
Starting the 12-lap race from fourth on the grid, Thompson immediately joined the battle at the front and moved into second on the opening lap. He briefly slipped back to fourth on lap two but quickly fought his way into contention again before taking control of the race on lap four. Once in front, Thompson began to stretch his advantage aboard the new R7. His lead had grown to almost two seconds by the halfway point and continued to increase as the laps counted down. On lap nine he underlined his pace by setting a new race lap record of 1:36.157 before taking the chequered flag more than five seconds clear of the chasing pack.
The result marks an important milestone for Yamaha, giving the new 2026 R7 its first victory in the FIM Sportbike World Championship, while Thompson’s win moves him into third place in the championship standings on 158 points. Team-mate Marco Gaggi also secured a top-ten finish on home soil. Starting tenth, the Italian battled among the leading group during the early stages before bringing his R7 home in ninth. Elsewhere, Mirko Gennai finished 14th despite serving two Long Lap penalties for a jump start, while Gonzalo Sanchez produced an impressive recovery from 34th on the grid to finish 16th. Progp Nitiracing riders Felix Mulya and Kevin Farkas finished 18th and 20th respectively, with reigning FIM Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup champion Alessandro Di Persio taking 25th.
“I’m really happy to finally get the race win,” said Thompson. “I’ve been on the podium a few times this year but I really wanted to get the win. It’s the home race for the team as well, so that makes it extra special.”
The FIM Sportbike World Championship now heads to Jerez for the final round of the season from 16–18 October, with Thompson sitting third in the standings and looking to finish his campaign on another high.
