One of Andorra’s most prominent motorcycle racer withdraws from the Supersport World Championship mid-season, citing a loss of confidence, disappointing results, and a fading passion for competition
Andorran motorsport has lost one of its most recognizable faces. Xavier Cardelús Garcia, born in Andorra la Vella and widely regarded as one of the country’s leading sporting figures of the past two decades, has announced his immediate retirement from professional motorcycle racing. The decision, made public on Friday, June 26, 2026, through an open letter addressed to his fans, team, and sponsors, brings an end to a career that took him through European and World Championship competition in Moto2 and, most recently, into the Supersport World Championship.
The announcement effectively closes out his 2026 campaign early and marks the definitive conclusion of his time on a racing motorcycle.
A Season That Never Got Going
Cardelús had entered this season with renewed ambition. Following his runner-up finish in the Moto2 European Championship in 2023, he reunited with Raül Jara, the team principal with whom he had achieved some of the best results of his career, this time under the new Cerba Yamaha Racing project in the Supersport World Championship. The switch to a Yamaha — a bike he described as having “great potential” alongside a strong team — was meant to be the foundation for a return to fighting for ambitious results.
Reality, however, played out in the opposite direction. In his own words, things “not only failed to go as expected, but kept getting worse” as the season progressed, both in terms of the motorcycle’s on-track performance and his own confidence riding it.
The numbers tell the story starkly. After the first seven rounds of the season, Cardelús had accumulated just two points in the championship standings — a dramatic drop from the 44 points he held at the equivalent stage of the previous season.
“I No Longer Enjoyed Riding or Competing”
In his letter, Cardelús points to a combination of factors behind the decision: a loss of confidence in the bike, the team’s inability to turn the situation around despite working hard every race weekend, and bleak prospects for the rest of the season. He explains that the decision came after a “long period of reflection,” brought on by reaching a point where he simply no longer enjoyed riding or racing.
The rider also signals a shift in priorities beyond motorcycling, noting that there are now other “activities and goals” outside racing that motivate him more and require his attention and dedication going forward.
He closes the letter with words of gratitude toward everyone who shared the journey with him — family, teams, and sponsors — and gives special thanks to Andorran motorcycling fans, whom he says have shown him unwavering support and affection throughout his career.
A Career That Put Andorra on the Motorcycling Map
Xavier Cardelús, the son of an Andorran rider of the same name who also competed professionally, got his start in racing at a young age and steadily worked his way up through domestic and international championships to become one of the standout names in Andorran motorsport. Along the way he competed in the Moto2 European Championship and the FIM JuniorGP World Championship before reaching the Moto2 World Championship, where he raced against some of the best riders on the planet.
The high point of his career came in 2023, when he finished runner-up in the Moto2 European Championship. Last year he made the jump to the Supersport World Championship with the Orelac VerdNatura team, riding a Ducati Panigale V2 — a bike that dominated the category, winning 19 of the 24 races held that season. This year’s switch to the Cerba Yamaha Racing project, reuniting him with Raül Jara, was meant to be a fresh chapter; instead, it became the backdrop to his retirement.
His departure leaves a significant void in Andorran competitive motorcycling, a discipline in which the small Pyrenean principality has had limited international representation — and in which Cardelús had firmly established himself as one of its leading ambassadors.
Our most sincere congratulations to Mr.Xavier Cardelús.
We don’t usually do this, but in this case, it is completely necessary. I would say it is morally necessary. In most countries, when an important sports figure leaves competition, most people congratulate that person. That is completely normal. Even if you don’t follow sports, you support the person since it is part of the history of your country (and in a good way). People are usually proud of their sports figures, especially when their trajectory is excellent and especially when the sports figure is a good person, which is the case here.
But in Andorra, it is different. Sadly, jealousy is still present in Andorran society. It is very sad, since one aspect that characterized Andorran people for centuries is their lack of jealousy. But things changed in the last decades…
Luckily, not everyone acts in the same way , and Xavier Cardelús has received the support of many Andorran and Spanish people who followed his excellent and admirable trajectory. Of course, we are one of them, and we want to say thank you for his admirable sports career. He is one of the best-known Andorran sports figures. With that said, our most sincere congratulations to Mr. Xavier Cardelús. It is part of our history.
Sources
- El Periòdic d’Andorra — “Xavi Cardelús abandona el Campionat del Món de Supersport i anuncia el punt final a la seva carrera esportiva”, June 26, 2026
- Digital Andorra — “Xavier Cardelús anuncia la seva retirada: ‘Ja no gaudia damunt de la moto'”, June 26, 2026 (by Ricard Poy)
- Andorra Esportiu — “Xavi Cardelús anuncia la seva retirada”, June 27, 2026 (by Víctor Rodrigues)
- Diari d’Andorra — “Xavi Cardelús es retira”, June 27, 2026 (by Iván Álvarez).
