Xavi Vierge · Biography

Xavier Vierge Zafra made his world championship debut on 9 August 2015 at the Moto2 Indianapolis Grand Prix, riding for Tech 3, which had handed him Ricard Cardús’s seat for the rest of the year. Born in Barcelona on 30 April 1997, he arrived in the intermediate class after winning races in the European Championship. He did not see the chequered flag that day. He went on to spend seven seasons in Moto2, with four podiums and three poles, and in 2022 he swapped grands prix for the Superbike World Championship, where he raced for Honda and Yamaha under the number 97.

Learning his trade in the CEV

Vierge came through the Spanish development ladder. In 2012 he contested the FIM CEV Moto3 series on a Honda and finished 15th with 31 points; in 2013, with the same manufacturer, he ended up 27th. In 2014 he stepped up to the European Moto2 Championship on a Tech 3 and finished the year fourth with 111 points. The following season was his breakthrough: he was European Moto2 runner-up in 2015 with 226 points, six wins, three second places and one third from eleven races. That form persuaded the French team to promote him to the world championship mid-season.

The Tech 3 years (2015-2017)

After nine pointless starts in 2015, Vierge scored his first points in Argentina in 2016. His best result that year was eighth at Sepang, and he finished 20th with 37 points, enough to take the 2016 Moto2 Rookie of the Year award by a single point from Miguel Oliveira. In 2017, with Remy Gardner as his teammate, came his first world championship podium: second at Motegi. Injuries slowed him that year — chest trauma from a qualifying crash in Italy and a broken arm at Assen — and he missed three grands prix, yet still finished 11th with 98 points.

Intact GP and Marc VDS (2018-2019)

In 2018 he joined the German Dynavolt Intact GP squad, riding a Kalex alongside Marcel Schrötter. In Argentina he took his first world championship pole and finished second, later adding a third place at Phillip Island. A heavy qualifying crash in Austria, after contact with Steven Odendaal, ruled him out of that race and the next round at Silverstone. He ended the year 11th with 131 points, his best tally in the class. In 2019 he moved to EG 0,0 Marc VDS as teammate to Álex Márquez, who won the Moto2 title that year. Vierge took one pole, had a fourth place as his best finish and was 13th with 81 points.

Petronas Sprinta Racing (2020-2021)

The Petronas satellite team signed him for 2020 alongside Jake Dixon. Vierge put the bike on pole at the Catalan Grand Prix, took fourth at Misano as his best result and finished tenth with 79 points, his highest final position in Moto2. In 2021 he stayed with the same team and teammate, and at Montmeló he stepped onto the third step of the podium, the fourth of his career in the class. He ended the season 11th with 93 points. His Moto2 record stood at 110 starts, four podiums, three poles and 519 points, without a win.

Honda in World Superbike (2022-2025)

Honda picked him for its factory Superbike team in 2022, replacing Leon Haslam, with Iker Lecuona as his Team HRC teammate. On the CBR1000RR-R he finished tenth in his first year with 164 points. On 5 March 2023, in Race 2 at Mandalika in Indonesia, he claimed his first World Superbike podium with third place, Honda’s first of that season and his first world championship podium since Montmeló in 2021. He was tenth again that year with 149 points and 11th in 2024 with 137. In 2025 he produced his best campaign in the class, seventh with 185 points. That summer he was due to replace the injured Lecuona at the Suzuka 8 Hours, but the Japanese authorities refused him a work visa and he could not take part.

Yamaha and the Barni deal (2025-2026)

On 29 September 2025, Yamaha announced that he would join the Pata Maxus Yamaha factory Superbike team for 2026, succeeding Jonathan Rea and partnering Andrea Locatelli. On 9 September 2026, the Japanese manufacturer said the partnership would end at the close of that season, highlighting his sixth places at Portimão and Assen on the YZF-R1. On 1 October 2026, Barni Spark Racing Team announced his signing to ride a Ducati in the 2027 championship, taking the seat vacated by Álvaro Bautista.