Challenging conditions to begin the season

The opening round of the 2026 EURO MOTO Superbike season at Sachsenring marked an important weekend for Twan Smits and Team APRECO.

As the only Yamaha rider in the Superbike field, Smits faced a challenging start to the weekend with changing weather conditions and limited dry track time aboard the Yamaha R1 .

Adding to the challenge, it was Smits’ first time riding the Yamaha R1 at Sachsenring, leaving limited reference points to build from across the weekend.

“The weekend started quite difficult for me because I didn’t have much track time on the R1 before,” Smits explained. “We started with wet conditions in the first free practice sessions, which made it difficult to build confidence.”

Knowing that the races would most likely take place in dry conditions, the team focused on building a solid base setup while avoiding unnecessary risks.

Strong pace as conditions improved

Once the track dried, Smits quickly showed strong pace. In FP3, he immediately felt comfortable in dry conditions and was able to build a strong rhythm from the beginning.

“FP3 was really positive,” said Smits. “It was the first real dry session and immediately we had the pace. We were P5 without changing tyres or doing anything special, so that felt really good.”

Despite some front-end issues and a lack of grip in certain sections, the pace remained strong enough to comfortably progress through Q1 and secure a place in Q2.

Strong qualifying performance despite setbacks

Heading into Q2, Smits encountered unexpected rear-end vibrations from the moment he left the pit lane, making it difficult to fully maximise the session.

“Some small things didn’t work on the bike and that cost us a bit,” he explained. “But in the end we still managed a really good qualifying.”

Despite the issues, Twan Smits secured P5 on the grid, achieving the team’s goal of starting from the front two rows and confirming the strong pace shown in dry conditions.

Race 1 compromised by tyre choice

Following a positive warm-up, the team decided to switch to a different front tyre compound for Race 1 to improve feeling on the bike. While the opening laps looked highly promising, the tyre decision ultimately proved costly.

“The first laps were really good. I got the holeshot and felt really strong on the bike,” Smits explained. “But after a few laps the front tyre dropped a lot because the track temperature increased.”

After initially leading the race and showing podium pace, tyre degradation forced Smits into survival mode for the remainder of the race. He eventually crossed the line in P6, scoring valuable points despite the setback.

“If P6 is a bad result, then we can still be happy,” Smits added.

Strong comeback in Race 2

Race 2 showed the true potential of the package. After another strong start, Smits immediately moved into P2 on the opening lap and controlled the race with strong pace and improved tyre management.

“I knew my pace was strong both at the beginning and at the end of the race,” Smits said. “The front tyre worked much better and we made a really good step.”

Twan Smits secured second place in Race 2, as the only Yamaha rider and underlining the strong overall performance of the weekend.

Strong start to the championship

With 30 championship points after the opening round, Twan Smits leaves Sachsenring in third position in the overall EURO MOTO Superbike standings.

The opening event delivered important learnings, but also highlighted the strong potential of the Yamaha package heading into the remainder of the season.