WorldSBK reject hopes for return to victory 2026 WorldSSP return

After three years on the GRT Yamaha WorldSBK team, Dominique Aegerter changes teams, manufacturers, and classes in 2026 as he seeks to return to competitiveness.

Aegerter’s two title years in Supersport were among the most dominant in the championship’s history, taking 10 victories in 2021 and 17 wins in 2022, but the Swiss has not found the same success in World Superbike, his only podium finishes coming in the final round of his rookie season in 2023 when he finished second in the Jerez Superpole Race and third in Race 2.

The 35-year-old thus found a return to Supersport with Kawasaki’s official team, run by the Puccetti team that has been victorious in the past with Kenan Sofuoglu, as his best option for 2026.

“I had a good option to go to the Puccetti team, and to go back to 600cc is not a big step backwards,” Dominique Aegerter told WorldSBK.com at the EICMA show in Milan.

“But I try to make my career more forward and in the Superbike category, the last two seasons my results were not the best, so my best option was to go back to Supersport. 

“I have many great memories there, so I’m very happy to join the Kawasaki Puccetti team.”

As a two-time champion, Aegerter’s level can surely only be satisfied by championship contention in his Supersport return.

“We will see,” he said, when asked about his goals for 2026.

“Of course, these two seasons that I made in World Supersport I won two titles, many great victories, and great numbers. 

“So, we will see how the test will be (Aegerter will test with Puccetti at Jerez this week at the WorldSBK test on 26–27 November) and our goal is for sure to try to fight in the front. The team and me will give everything to achieve this result.”

Puccetti: I don’t know who will be ahead

Aegerter’s arrival at Puccetti for 2026 is a part of an expansion for the Italian squad, rather than as a replacement. He will partner Jeremy Alcoba, whose maiden WorldSSP season this year ended with podium finishes in the final two rounds at Estoril and Jerez.

The Aegerter-Alcoba partnership makes the Kawasaki WorldSSP Team the “strongest” in the 2026 field, team boss Manuel Puccetti thinks.

“We confirmed Jeremy Alcoba, after very good [results in the last two rounds of 2025], and we are very proud to bring three-time World Champion rider Dominique Aegerter,” Puccetti said at EICMA, speaking to WorldSBK.com. 

“We are very happy to ride with him and believe that we will do a very good season with him next year. 

“We are happy to build I think the strongest team in Supersport next year, with a very fast rider like Dominique and a young rider, 23-years-old, like Jeremy. 

“I think it will be a good combination to try to push each other to try to become World Champion next year.”

Puccetti’s own ambition for his team is clear, to be World Champion again, but he is unsure whether it will be Aegerter who takes the squad back to the summit of Supersport.

“I think it will be a super-competitive season,” he said.

“We expect, we push a lot to Kawasaki Japan, to come back on the top level [of the championship]. 

“I think we will do a very good season, we expect really to become World Champion next year; I don’t know if Dominique or Jeremy will be ahead, but for sure I believe both talent they have they can do a very good job for Kawasaki and for my team.”