Stefano Manzi Wins WorldSSP Title in YZF-R9 Debut Season

November 12, 2025

November 12, 2025—On October 12, 2025, Round 11 of the Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) was held in Estoril, Portugal. There, Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing WorldSSP Supported Team rider Stefano Manzi rode the YZF-R9, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.'s new supersport model, to lift the WorldSSP title in the bike’s first year of competition.

The YZF-R9 features a Crossplane Concept 888cc liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, inline 3-cylinder engine that delivers plenty of torquey power, mounted in a newly-designed aluminum frame that is the lightest of any supersport model in Yamaha history. The YZF-R9 made its debut in WorldSSP competition this season.

In 2025, three teams competed in WorldSSP on YZF-R9 machinery, all of which were supported by Yamaha Motor group company Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. The riders included Manzi, promising young talent Can Öncü, 2024 Superbike 300 World Championship champion Aldi Satya Mahendra, and 2024 All Japan Road Race Championship JSB1000 champion Yuki Okamoto, who competed on the YZF-R9 and aimed for the title.

At the season opener in Australia, the YZF-R9 started the season with a win as Manzi lead across the finish line in the R9’s very first WorldSSP race. Following that, Manzi and the R9 took five consecutive 2nd-place finishes, while Öncü also rode to two wins during this period, demonstrating the R9’s potential from the start. At Round 4 in Italy, Manzi won on the R9 again, before taking back-to-back victories at Round 8 in Hungary and Round 9 in France to build up a sizeable championship lead. Manzi eventually clinched the title at Round 11 in Estoril in Race 2. With the season complete, Manzi’s total was 11 wins, while Öncü’s was six, making it 17 victories out of 24 races for the YZF-R9 in its debut season. Yamaha also secured the 2025 Manufacturers' Championship title.

Having been a top contender in WorldSSP in recent years, Manzi delivered an outstanding performance this season with 11 wins, seven 2nd-places and two 3rd-places for a total of 20 podium appearances on his way to his first WorldSSP title. Manzi will make the step up to the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) next season with the GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team.

Stefano Manzi
“The feeling of becoming the 2025 World Supersport Champion is amazing. It’s difficult to find the words to describe how I feel in this moment, but after two years of trying, I was finally able to achieve this lifetime goal. When you start riding as a youngster, this is the moment you dream about. It’s also very special to have won the 2025 world championship aboard the Yamaha R9 in its first year of racing. Normally, with a brand new bike, winning is difficult in the first year. We were able to win both the Manufacturers’ and Riders World Supersport titles, which feels incredible. The support I have received from my team, Pata Ten Kate Racing Yamaha, has been overwhelming. They helped me both on and off the track and have been like a family to me over the years. It feels great to repay them with the 2025 title.”

Tetsu Ono, General Manager, Motorsport Strategy Division, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
“We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Manzi for clinching the title. Winning in the debut season of the YZF-R9, a machine that represents a milestone for Yamaha, was a significant achievement, proving the bike’s outstanding potential.
Manzi’s strong determination and fearless riding in decisive moments, often battling fiercely with young talents like Öncü, led to multiple victories and inspired Yamaha riders across the board. His performance set a new benchmark and ignited everyone’s competitive spirit.
The YZF-R9 has also shown that its exceptional capabilities can accelerate the growth of young riders and elevate them to the next stage of their careers. As we look ahead to next season, we are committed to developing riders who will follow in Manzi’s footsteps, so stay tuned!”

Andrea Dosoli, Division Manager, Motorsport Division, Yamaha Motor Europe
“Stefano has been with Yamaha for three seasons and in this time he has grown into the man who has deservedly become World Champion this year. Twice he finished runner-up, but this year he came back with one goal and has put on an impressive display to take the title in this way. The YZF-R9 is a significant new model for Yamaha, so to win the triple crown of Riders championship, Manufacturers’ championship and Teams championship with the Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros WorldSSP Supported Team is a remarkable story in itself, and I believe more such stories are yet to come.”

Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“Congratulations to Stefano on becoming World Champion. He has put together an incredible season and ridden like a champion from the start, taking wins where he could and taking points where he couldn’t. This is a very important win for Yamaha, with the new YZF-R9 winning the championship in its very first season. A huge well done to Manzi and the entire Pata Yamaha Ten Kate team for their incredible work this year. We’re really looking forward to seeing what he can do on the YZF-R1 in WorldSBK next season.”