The penultimate round of the 2026 FIM World Sportbike Championship took place at Italy's Cremona Circuit, where Suzuki teams Track & Trades WIXX Racing Team and Van de Lagemaat Racing (VLR) enjoyed a productive weekend of podium success, rider development and valuable championship points. While Ferre Fleerackers fought at the front and secured a podium finish for WIXX Racing Team, VLR's young newcomer Indi Schunselaar continued his adaptation to world championship competition with encouraging progress across every session.

For the Track & Trades WIXX Racing Team, Cremona proved to be one of the strongest weekends of the season. Fleerackers immediately showed competitive pace aboard his Suzuki GSX-8R, qualifying ninth on the grid, while teammate Jeffrey Buis faced the challenge of returning from injury at a circuit he had never ridden before. Despite a penalty forcing him to start Race 1 from the back of the grid, Buis steadily improved throughout the weekend.

Saturday's opening race saw Fleerackers launch into contention from the start, briefly leading the race and remaining inside the lead group before ultimately taking seventh place. Buis fought his way through the field to finish eighteenth while gaining valuable race mileage and confidence.

Sunday brought the reward for the team's hard work. Fleerackers was once again among the frontrunners and spent almost the entire race battling for the podium positions. Following an intense fight for second place, the Belgian crossed the finish line in third to secure another World Championship podium for the team. Buis also delivered a strong performance, climbing through the field to finish eleventh and score important championship points.

"It was a strong weekend here in Cremona. From the very first session I immediately felt good on the bike. In Race 2 I was able to fight inside the top three for the whole race and after a few difficult weekends this podium is a great result for me and the entire team," said Ferre Fleerackers.

"It wasn't an easy weekend because I hadn't ridden for some time and Cremona was completely new to me. We improved in every session and Sunday's race gave me a positive feeling heading into the final round," added Jeffrey Buis.

Team Manager Wiljan Wikselaar praised both riders after the weekend's results: "Ferre rode a fantastic race on Sunday and showed once again that he belongs at the front in this class. Jeffrey also made important progress throughout the weekend after a difficult period away from racing. We can be proud of what the whole team achieved here in Cremona."

Schunselaar made steady progress from the opening Free Practice session and continued to lower his lap times throughout qualifying and the races. After qualifying 32nd, he gained valuable experience during Race 1, overcoming a difficult opening lap to fight his way to 28th place. On Sunday he made another step forward, producing a strong start and ultimately taking 26th position at the chequered flag.

The VLR squad came away encouraged by the pace and development shown by its young rider during the weekend.

"We knew this would be a weekend about learning and gaining experience. Indi continued to improve every time he went on track and showed positive race pace in both races. The progress he made across the weekend was exactly what we wanted to see," the team reflected following the event.