ALEX RINS CONFIRMS 2027 SWITCH TO CAR RACING AFTER YAMAHA EXIT

Alex Rins has announced he will leave MotoGP and move to four-wheel racing in 2027 after losing his factory Yamaha seat. The six-time grand prix winner made the decision public on the eve of this weekend’s Aragon Grand Prix, with another report placing the announcement on the eve of the San Marino Grand Prix. His exit comes a little over two months after Yamaha confirmed it would drop him from its MotoGP programme at the end of the 1000cc era.

While the headline takeaway across reports is that Rins is stepping away from motorcycle racing entirely, the new details add context to how that decision was reached. According to MotoGP News, Rins had been linked to an offer to join independent Ducati team Go Eleven for the 2027 World Superbike Championship, with the proposal reportedly on the table “for weeks” and centred on riding a Ducati V4R. However, Rins rejected the move and instead confirmed that he will not be switching to WorldSBK next year.

Ahead of the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, Rins stated: “I will not go to Superbikes next year.” He also explained that he already has a “good, really interesting project” in mind, adding that he cannot reveal it because it is “not done 100%.” Rins said he is “really happy,” but acknowledged the choice was difficult given his long association with MotoGP: “For sure, it was difficult to choose, because all my life in MotoGP, in this championship, many fights, many races, many wins, 14 years, more or less. So, yeah, I will stop with two wheels.”

Rins’ comments also suggest he had more than one option in WorldSBK. MotoGP News reports that he had two possibilities in the production-bike series and that he wanted to thank the teams involved because they were “quite interested” in him. But he said he ultimately found something that “really motivates” him more than the WorldSBK offers.

The broader backdrop is Yamaha’s reshaping of its line-up for the 850cc regulations cycle. MotoGP News reports that Yamaha decided not to offer Rins a new works contract after three seasons with the factory team. The manufacturer is instead starting “almost from scratch” for the new era, with only Toprak Razgatlıoglu remaining in its ranks. The same report notes that Fabio Quartararo will join Honda in 2027, and that Yamaha have also chosen not to renew Jack Miller’s works MotoGP deal, with Miller instead set to ride for Yamaha in WorldSBK.

In that sense, Rins’ situation differs from Miller’s: while Yamaha are keeping Miller within their wider programme by signing him to their World Superbike squad, Rins is choosing to step away from two-wheel competition altogether when his Yamaha MotoGP contract expires at the end of 2026.

MotoGP News also places Rins’ decision alongside other confirmed production-bike moves. KTM MotoGP exile Brad Binder has signed with BMW’s World Superbike team, and VR46 MotoGP rider Franco Morbidelli is due to join Ducati’s factory WorldSBK squad in a seat swap with Nicolo Bulega.

Finally, the new reporting clarifies that Rins’ refusal of the Go Eleven proposal appears to be tied to how the project was presented. It is suggested that Go Eleven wanted Rins to bring his own budget, and that may have contributed to his reluctance to move to an independent WorldSBK outfit. Rins has spent nearly all of his MotoGP career as a factory rider, with only his time at LCR Honda in 2023 representing a break from that pattern.

With his Yamaha contract set to end after the 2026 season, Rins’ next chapter is therefore not a transition to WorldSBK, but a switch to four-wheel racing beginning in 2027.