WorldSPB success opens WorldSSP door for Salvador
David Salvador’s rapid progress through Kawasaki’s racing ranks will continue in 2027, with the Spaniard confirmed to join the official Kawasaki WorldSSP Team.
The 23-year-old currently leads the inaugural WorldSPB Championship aboard the ProDina Kawasaki XCI Ninja ZX-6R 636, and his performances have earned him a move into the considerably more competitive WorldSSP category next season.
Salvador has emerged as one of the early success stories of Kawasaki’s rider-development structure, progressing from WorldSSP300 into the new Sportbike class before securing his place within the manufacturer’s official Supersport program.
After five rounds and ten races of the 2026 WorldSPB season, Salvador has already recorded seven podium finishes, including two victories.
That form follows an encouraging WorldSSP300 career in which he claimed two race wins and seven podiums.
While Salvador will remain on Kawasaki’s middleweight Ninja platform in 2027, he will step onto a WorldSSP-specification machine prepared for the significantly higher performance level of the Supersport category.
Kawasaki selected the Ninja ZX-6R 636 for the new WorldSPB class partly to provide its developing riders with experience on machinery carrying some of the characteristics they will encounter when moving into WorldSSP.
Salvador’s promotion now provides an early indication that the pathway is working as intended.
David Salvador
“I’m really happy to have this amazing opportunity for next season. I’m sure it will be a winning project, based on the Ninja ZX-6R 636, a very competitive bike with great potential.
“I want to thank everyone who believed in me and made all this possible, starting with Kawasaki, which I’ll do my best to bring to the top.
“I know this is a big step in my career. On the one hand, I want the time to pass quickly so I can start working on this exciting new project, but on the other hand, my effort and focus remain on the Sportbike Championship.
“I’m leading the standings right now and want to stay there, also as a way of thanking all those who have helped me and put their trust in me.”
Salvador will join Manuel Puccetti’s Kawasaki WorldSSP operation, with the experienced team principal highlighting the Spaniard’s maturity and race management as important factors behind the decision.
Manuel Puccetti – Kawasaki WorldSSP Team Principal
“We’re pleased to welcome David Salvador to our Supersport team next year. We are very proud to provide young riders in the Kawasaki orbit with important opportunities like this.
“This season, David has proved to have real skill, with his performances on track highlighting his talent, maturity and race-management abilities.
“These are characteristics that will serve him well in a higher and more challenging category like Supersport.
“I also want to underline the great work the Kawasaki teams are doing in the Sportbike categories, supporting and developing young riders who may, in future, form part of official Kawasaki teams — not only in Supersport, but also in Superbike.”
Kawasaki Motors Europe Race Planning Manager Steve Guttridge also credited the ProDina Kawasaki XCI squad for providing Salvador with the platform to establish himself at the front of the new championship.
Steve Guttridge – Kawasaki Motors Europe Race Planning Manager
“First of all, I would like to thank our trusted partner in the World Sportbike Championship, the ProDina Kawasaki XCI Team.
“They have provided such a strong platform for their riders to spring to the front of this highly competitive championship, even in its first season.
“We opted to use the Ninja ZX-6R 636 for the new Sportbike class to help our young racers understand the demands of the next big step into the WorldSSP category and become familiar with the motorcycle’s main characteristics.
“David clearly gels with our Ninja and has a pure racer’s mentality. We are looking forward to supporting him in the next stage of his career with Kawasaki.”
Salvador’s immediate priority remains converting his current WorldSPB championship lead into the inaugural title before beginning preparations for his WorldSSP debut in 2027.
