Alex Rins has announced he will retire from motorcycle racing at the end of the 2026 season despite receiving offers to continue his career in Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK).
The 30-year-old was already set to leave Yamaha when his contract expires at the end of the year, but had been linked with a switch to WorldSBK as he looked for his next move.
However, Rins confirmed ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix that he has decided to walk away from two-wheeled racing altogether after 14 years competing on the world stage.
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“I will not go to Superbike next year,” Rins said.
“I had two possibilities there. I really want to say thanks to them because they were quite interested in me. But I found another thing that really motivates me more.
“As I told you some races ago, I have a really interesting project in mind that I can’t reveal because it’s not done 100%.”
Rins has yet to reveal details of his next project, leaving his plans beyond the 2026 season unclear.
The Spaniard made his MotoGP debut with Suzuki in 2017 after finishing runner-up in both Moto3 and Moto2, and went on to claim six premier-class victories and 18 podiums.
He spent six seasons with Suzuki before the manufacturer withdrew from MotoGP at the end of 2022, prompting a move to LCR Honda.
Rins memorably won the 2023 Americas Grand Prix in just his third race with Honda, but his season was later disrupted by a serious leg injury suffered at Mugello.
He joined Yamaha in 2024 and has spent the past three seasons with the factory team, but will now bring his motorcycle racing career to an end when the current campaign concludes.
“I’m really happy. 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,” Rins said.
“So yeah, I will stop with two wheels.”
Rins still has nine rounds remaining in his final MotoGP season, beginning with this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano.
