In 2026, the World Supersport 300 Championship will be replaced by a new entry-level category in the World Superbike paddock. Details of the regulations are yet to be revealed, but it is known that it will be aimed at mid-capacity engines and closer to those of the World Supersport. In any case, Massimo Rivola already favors the change.
The CEO of Aprilia Racing told Corse di Moto that he disagrees with the current WSSP300 format, considering that the category does not truly teach young riders:
– The new entry-level Superbike category is very much desired by me, Massimo Rivola. I made a promise to [Maverick] Viñales when his cousin [Dean Berta Viñales, in WSSP300 in 2021] passed away. That category is conceptually wrong because the bikes they compete with are gates, with all due respect. There are 40 boys in the first corner, and everyone gives 100%. They swarm out, and someone explodes. It doesn’t teach anything.
However, the category to be created in 2026 is expected to involve Aprilia, according to Rivola: ‘The new category will certainly have Aprilia as a protagonist. I insisted a lot on making the Trofeo 660 in Italy, and the winner [Edoardo] Colombi is leading the BSB [British Superbike Championship, in the National Superstock category], so it is formative. The bike works, and the format is the same’.