Ryan Vickers 2026 WorldSBK options teased: “I'm not sure you won’t see him here”

Ryan Vickers is not without options to race in WorldSBK in 2026 in some capacity, it has been revealed.

It was announced at the Estoril Round (10–12 October) that Vickers will leave the Motocorsa Ducati team at the end of the 2025 World Superbike season.

The announcement from the team said that the contract existing between Vickers and Motocorsa was a ‘one-plus-one’ deal, meaning Vickers had the 2025 season as a guarantee, but the 2026 season was optional. The implication, of course, is then that the team elected not to exercise that option.

Vickers himself, though, insisted that his deal was actually a two-year contract with an option for a third when he spoke after the announcement on Friday at Estoril.

This was supported by his manager, Roger Burnett, who said that, in fact, Vickers was dismissed by Motocorsa for financial reasons, and added an implication that he has options available to be on the WorldSBK grid in 2026.

“He [Vickers] had had a two-year agreement, it was a two plus one to be honest, it was very clear,” Burnett said, speaking to TNT Sports on Sunday at the Estoril WorldSBK.

“Unfortunately, the team are short of budget; they were [going] to take a sponsor with another rider, which did not materialise. 

“But they terminated with Ryan [Vickers] some weeks ago, actually, so we have been preparing for this. 

“I am not sure you won’t see him here [next year], in some form or another.”

Burnett added that the Motocorsa team wanted close to half-a-million euro from Vickers to continue in 2026.

“The Motocorsa team wanted €400,000 (£350,000), and that is virtually impossible to find,” said Burnett.

“If you could find it, how is it going to make the team better? 

“Ryan has done an amazing job; he has been on lap record pace from last year's lap records at every round. 

“He has not known any of the tracks, which has been incredible. 

“But the level of the team, will it take him forward? [That] is the question. 

“I don’t think it can, so maybe this is a blessing in disguise.”

The financial situation of Motocorsa is a reality of World Superbike as a championship, according to Burnett.

“I have been here since day one,” he said.

“[Originally] it was that the manufacturers were supporting this championship to prove their Superbike to the fans, so they would buy the bikes. 

“That was the whole ethos of the championship from the beginning, and that has not changed. The manufacturers are still supporting the championship very well.

“The thing that’s lacking is that the independent teams have no commercial reason to be here. They need sponsorship, and that is not coming forward.”