Yamaha has confirmed that its partnership with Ten Kate is over, opening a new chapter for the Dutch team and for World Supersport. Yamaha said Ten Kate had chosen a different direction for 2027, while QJ Motor is expected to become the team’s next manufacturer. The agreement between the two sides has not been confirmed.

The possible switch carries real significance because of Ten Kate’s record. With Honda, the team won nine World Supersport titles from 2002 to 2014 using the CBR600RR, and it also secured its only WorldSBK championship in 2007. That title came with a Honda CBR1000RR ridden by James Toseland. Ten Kate moved to Yamaha in 2019, after Honda returned as a full factory WorldSBK operation in 2020 without including the Dutch team in its plans.

The Yamaha partnership produced three more world titles. Dominique Aegerter won the Supersport championships in 2021 and 2022, before Stefano Manzi took the 2025 crown in the YZF-R9’s first season in the class. The R9 won again in 2026 with AS Racing and Albert Arenas. Ten Kate rider Can Oncu ended that season fourth in the standings, with Jeremy Alcoba taking third at the final round.

What the possible move would mean for QJ Motor

Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe’s Motorsport division manager, thanked Ten Kate for eight seasons of cooperation. She pointed to the three world championships added during the partnership and to the team’s contribution to Yamaha becoming the most successful manufacturer in World Supersport history. Yamaha also expressed its disappointment that Ten Kate had chosen a new path.

QJ Motor has been in the WorldSBK paddock since entering Supersport in 2024, but it has yet to score a podium in the class. ZX Moto, which joined the championship in 2026 with Evan Bros, finished second in the standings with Valentin Debise. Evan Bros has previously won world titles with Yamaha. QJ Motor’s programme, meanwhile, has operated as a parallel project for Manuel Puccetti, whose team continues to use Kawasaki ZX-6R machinery; Jeremy Alcoba used that bike to take third in the 2026 standings.

If the partnership goes ahead, QJ Motor would gain the most successful team in World Supersport history. The larger question concerns the SRK800RS and whether it can provide the technical basis for a front-running challenge. The possible 2027 switch would therefore be more than a change of colours for Ten Kate: it could be QJ Motor’s attempt to turn a place on the grid into a genuine fight for results.