Since stepping up to the Supersport World Championship, GMT94, the FFM and Yamaha France have, each year, offered a French rider the unique opportunity to compete in the World Championship round held in September at Magny-Cours.
A New Chapter Begins in 2026
In 2026, a new chapter begins.
The wild card supported by GMT94, Yamaha France and the FFM will now be awarded in the brand-new WORLD SPORTBIKE category (700cc) — a major evolution opening a new pathway to the world elite.
At the conclusion of Round 5 of the Yamaha Challenge 700 Championship, held at Val de Vienne, the championship leader will earn the privilege of lining up for the French round of the World Championship aboard a Yamaha R7, prepared and entered by GMT94.
A concrete springboard. A bold ambition.
Sébastien Poirier
President of the FFM
“The introduction of the new World Sportbike category in the 2026 Superbike World Championship represents a real opportunity for our young talents. We must seize it fully. The FFM will stand alongside GMT94 to offer this wild card in a category perfectly aligned with the Yamaha Challenge 700 launched in 2025 within the FSBK. In Supersport, the Federation will continue its efforts to support our best riders on their path to international competition. We have harmonized the FSBK regulations with those of the World Supersport Championship.The top French riders will therefore be eligible for the two wild cards offered by DORNA to the FFM for the Superbike French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. Our focus remains firmly on the future and on enhancing the value of our French Championship.”
Grégory Lejosne
Managing Director, Yamaha France
“As a long-standing partner of the FFM, the Wild Card project enables the best French representative of the Yamaha Challenge 700 to join the GMT94 structure for the World Championship round at Magny-Cours.I would like to thank Christophe Guyot and the FFM for continuing to inspire our riders and, above all, for revealing today’s and tomorrow’s talents through the Yamaha R7. This shared ambition has also driven us to strengthen our commitment alongside the FFM within the FSBK framework for 2026.”
Christophe Guyot
Team Manager, GMT94
“Thanks to the FFM, Yamaha France, Pirelli and GMT94’s partners, all expenses are fully covered. The rider will also benefit from dedicated test sessions in advance, ensuring the best possible preparation for a World Championship machine, which is technically very different.Riders such as Valentin Debise and Johan Gimbert launched their international careers through this project. The world is evolving. The arrival of the World Sportbike category in the World Championship and the development of the Yamaha Challenge 700 in FSBK are injecting fresh momentum into this initiative. I am proud that, together, we can continue to pass on ambition and hope to French youth.”
In conclusion, the new 2026 project will once again deliver a structured program, a coherent development pathway and a clear ambition: to support and propel French talents toward the very highest level of world competition.
Magny-Cours 2026 is already shaping up to be a landmark moment for the next generation.
18 February 2026
