Oncu qualifies fourth and Okamoto 24th at Phillip Island

Can Öncü qualified fourth on Friday for the first World Supersport race of 2026. Teammate Yuki Okamoto set the 24^th fastest time in the first Superpole session of the new season at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

After completing two test days on Monday and Tuesday, the opening round of the 2026 FIM Supersport World Championship got underway on Friday. Under sunny conditions, a free practice session was held in the morning, followed by qualifying in the afternoon for the first race of the new season.

With a 1’32.450 lap time, Öncü significantly improved on his test pace and qualified fourth, making him the highest-placed Yamaha rider. Okamoto conceded just 1.294 seconds to the polesitter and finished 24th on the timesheets.

Can Öncü (P4 – 1’32.450 | +0,335):
“The bike and I were a very good combination today. We did a good qualifying and we can be happy with this position. Now we are going to focus on the race tomorrow and try to get the best out of the machine and myself. Hopefully we can achieve a podium finish, and that should be a possibility looking at our pace. I am looking forward to go racing.”

Yuki Okamoto (P24 – 1’33.409 | +1,294):
“We made a lot of improvements on the bike compared to the test earlier this week. We need to continue improving ahead of the race and then I think we can achieve a good result. I am looking forward to the race and I think it will be a good one.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a good qualifying day for us in tropical conditions. Can qualified in a solid fourth position, while Yuki set his best lap time of the weekend. For that reason, we can certainly be satisfied at this stage. We approach the race with confidence, as we have mainly focused on race pace throughout the week. Yuki has improved in every session, so I expect him to make another step forward in the race; he has shown that he can be consistent. From Can, I expect him to fight for the podium, and that is also the objective for both races here in Australia before we return to Europe. We are really looking forward to lining up on the grid tomorrow.”

First points in the bag for Oncu, Okamoto close in 17th 

Can Öncü finished fifth in the first World Supersport race of 2026 on Saturday. Under sunny conditions at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, the Turkish rider was initially able to join the leading group, but eventually had to settle for fifth place. Teammate Yuki Okamoto was close to the points and finished seventeenth.

Under almost perfect conditions with lots of sunshine and an ambient temperature of 21°C, the first eighteen-lap race of the World Supersport race started on Phillip Island on Saturday. From the second row, Can Öncü made a great start and immediately took over the lead. At the end of the opening lap, the Turkish rider crossed the start/finish line in second place, after which he had to swerve for another rider on the following lap and lost a lot of time.

Öncü came back strongly in the second half of the race and fought for the podium for a long time. This was missed by less than half a second and in the end fifth place was the result. Based on his lap time in Race 1, Öncü will start from fifth place in Race 2.

From 24^th place on the grid, Yuki Okamoto steadily moved to the front and throughout the race he managed to gain more and more positions. Thanks to a good pace, the Japanese rider eventually managed to cross the finish line in seventeenth place. Okamoto will start from 24^th place on the grid in Race 2.

Can Öncü (P5 | +7,743):
“It was not a bad race today. We can be happy because we scored good points, and I usually struggle a bit at this circuit because it doesn’t really suit my riding style. However, we aim for more and we need to improve ourselves for tomorrow. Let’s remain focused and make sure we score some more good points.”

Yuki Okamoto (P17 | +26,088):
“It was quite a difficult race for me, but I managed to make some improvements on my weak points. At the end of the race I had a good pace, which is good for tomorrow. We will keep improving and hopefully we can have another strong race.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“Mixed feelings after this first day of racing at Phillip Island. Yuki rode a very good race in which he found another gear, so we look back on it with a good feeling. He has made a big step in terms of race pace and was near the points. He just missed out, but the potential is certainly there. We want to make that next step tomorrow so that he can score points here.

A fifth place for Can is disappointing and we didn’t expect that. He had some difficulties with throwing the bike from one side to the other so we have to see where and how we can help him. Hopefully we can make that step to the podium tomorrow, a goal we both have in mind. As always, we will look at all the details and dot the i’s and cross the t’s for tomorrow.”

Oncu takes important fifth place in Race 2 in challenging conditions with Okamoto 22nd

Can Öncü finished fifth again in the second World Supersport race at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday. Due to the very changeable conditions, it was necessary to change from rain tyres to slicks, after which Öncü rode a very strong race and managed to fight his way to the front. Yuki Okamoto crossed the finish line in 22^nd place.

After a week of sunshine, it was rainy on Phillip Island on Sunday. Just before the start of the second World Supersport race the track was still quite wet, so both Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing riders – like most – left on rain tyres. This turned out not to be the right choice in the end because the track dried up and the riders on slicks were faster.

After a pit stop for a tyre change, Öncü had fallen back to sixteenth position, but he started to make a big rise through the field. Soon the Turkish rider re-entered the top ten and eventually crossed the finish line in fifth place, the first of the riders who made a pit stop. With 22 points from two races, Öncü is now sixth in the championship, sixteen points behind the leader.

Okamoto was unable to make a fist towards the competition in these conditions and eventually finished this race in 22nd place.

Can Öncü (P5 | +1’25,203):
“I think we did a very good job, considering the circumstances. We scored good points again and these will be very important. Now we just have to look ahead to the next round and keep our focus. I am looking at it positively and we have a lot of confidence for the next round in Portimão. A big thanks to everyone in the team for their hard work.”

Yuki Okamoto (P22 | +1 Lap):
“We have finished the first race weekend of the year and today’s Race 2 was a very difficult one with the track conditions that we faced. I will continue to work hard and focus on our next race in Portimão. I want to thank the team for their hard work and the improvements we made throughout the week.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a crazy race today under typical Phillip Island conditions as we have had here before. The conditions were between wet and dry, and as a team we decided to keep both riders on the rain tyres. Because of safety but also because all our direct competitors – except for the eventual winner – did the same. In retrospect, that turned out to be the wrong choice, so apologies to Can and Yuki for that. Can came in first for slicks and that turned out to be the right move, the four riders who started on slicks eventually finished in the top four.

Of course I am disappointed with our choice, but with what is at stake, this was the safest and most reasonable. We go home without a podium finish and that was not as expected, but we have been able to conclude that Can is very fast and we can start scoring from Portimão. Yuki has shown a good test and a good weekend and we are nearing the points, where we will work for in Portimão.”

The next race weekend of the 2026 season will take place on the weekend of 27-30 March at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal.