WorldSBK and the Aragon Government have reached an agreement that will see the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visit the MotorLand Aragon circuit in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

A mainstay on the WorldSBK calendar since 2011, MotorLand Aragon has recently undergone an extensive refresh over three months. More than 75,000 m² of the track has been resurfaced, and new kerbs totalling 700m in length have been installed. In accordance with FIM standards, several run-off areas have been updated, and new colours have been applied to highlight track limits.

Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK Executive Director said: “We are delighted to secure the future of WorldSBK at MotorLand Aragon. Its spectacular layout makes it a favourite among motorcycle fans, producing thrilling races and presenting a significant challenge to all competitors. Additionally, the venue boasts excellent facilities overall. The recent upgrades underscore MotorLand Aragon’s and the region’s commitment to supporting world-class racing.”

Manuel Blasco, MotorLand Aragon President added: “With this new three-year contract, we provide stability to the circuit’s calendar. This event is very important for the image of Aragon, as it brings nearly 30,000 attendees to our facilities. We are also very satisfied with the resurfacing of the circuit, which ensures that MotorLand meets the highest quality standards for welcoming our visitors.”

MotorLand Aragon will host Round 10 of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, featuring all three categories and the FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU FIM World Cup, promising an action-packed weekend from 27th-29th September.

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The first double header of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship took place over the last couple of weeks, first visiting Donington Park before heading east to the Czech Republic. Both rounds provided thrilling racing and we’ve summarised some of the more unusual, or difficult, passing places from both rounds below.

TWO FOR ONE: double moves under braking

The run to Turn 1 at Most lends itself to a traditional ‘use the slipstream, pass under braking’ move but twice those passes became two-for-one. First, Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) overtook Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in Race 2, then Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) performed a similar move on Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) and Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the same race.

A DIVE AT TURN 2: Locatelli goes for an unusual place

While Turn 1 was one of the optimum overtaking opportunities at Most, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) opted for Turn 2 when passing van der Mark. On the short spurt between Turns 1 and 2, ‘Loka’ saw a gap and took it, diving up the inside of the Dutchman at Turn 2 to move into the podium places.

TURN 15 AT MOST: a weekend hot spot

The right-hand corner of Turn 15 became an overtaking hotspot at Most, with the moves starting from Race 1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) got ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) there for P2 in Race 1, before Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) passed ‘The Maniac’ there a few laps later and then ‘Petrux’ used the same corner to pass Bulega for P2. In Race 2, Razgatlioglu claimed the lead at Turns 15-16, while Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) made two passes there: first on Lecuona on Lap 16 for P7 and then on Lap 22 on Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) for P6.

THE OLD HAIRPIN: Rea making early gains

Turn 4 at Donington is a place to make passes but it can be tricky, and it’s possible to be cut back into Turn 5. This wasn’t a problem for Rea, though, after a superb start in the Tissot Superpole Race launched him to fourth on the exit of Turn 1, before passing Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) for third at the Old Hairpin as he claimed a first Yamaha podium.

MELBOURNE LOOP: a difficult place made look easy

The penultimate corner at Donington is one that allows multiple lines, which lends itself to potential passing although it can be tricky. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was able to get past Bulega there in Race 1, as was Razgatlioglu on Lap 3 of the Tissot Superpole Race to claim the lead of P1 on his way to victory.

OPENING DONINGTON CORNER: a tricky turn to pass

Turn 1 at Donington is a right hander but with the undulations of the track, there are different lines that can be used, plus the relatively short run to it can make it hard to fight. Alex Lowes made a move there for P8 on van der Mark in the Superpole Race, while Iannone was able to pass the Yamaha of Gardner there in the same race. In Race 2, teammates Rea and Locatelli battled it out at Turn 1 with the Italian coming out on top to show it’s possible, even if it’s difficult, to overtake there.

THE RUN TO McLEAN’S: Bautista vs Alex Lowes

The risk of making a move at the Old Hairpin was on display when Bautista and Alex Lowes battled there. The #22 was looking to move into sixth place and got ahead, before Bautista cut back to get a better run through Turns 5 and 6. They were almost side by side on the run up to McLean’s, a corner where you very rarely overtake, with the Kawasaki rider able to get ahead.

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As the Ducati family gathered at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for their annual World Ducati Week event, the Italian manufacturer also revealed their new Panigale V4 model. Featuring revised aerodynamics, a new fairing design and technology derived from MotoGP™, plus a stated power output of 216 horsepower, you can look at pictures of the new bike in the gallery at the top of this article!

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Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) has undergone surgery on his right forearm for arm pump following the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship double header at Donington and Most. The #97 travelled back to Barcelona from the Czech Republic and sought medical advice, where the decision was made to have the surgery which was a success on Thursday morning.

Vierge secured a best result of 11^th across the last two rounds, taking P11 in both the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2 at the Autodrom Most. He was 14^th in Race 1 in the Czech Republic, while at Donington Park, he was 15^th in Sunday’s two races but retired from Race 1. 2024 as a whole has proven tricky for Honda, with Vierge only scoring three top-ten finishes this season and a best result of tenth, last achieved in Race 2 at Assen.

A statement from Team HRC said: “Xavi Vierge has undergone successful surgery on his right forearm to relieve ‘arm pump’ (compartment syndrome), which caused him problems during the last two WorldSBK Championship rounds in Donington (UK) and Most (Czech Republic). Back in Barcelona after the race weekend, the Team HRC rider sought medical advice at the Dexeus University Hospital and the decision was taken to proceed with surgery. The operation was successfully performed by Dr. Xavier Mir on Thursday morning. Vierge now has two weeks in which to recover and is expected to be back in action at the next WorldSBK round in Portimao, Portugal, on 9-11 August 2024.”

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is halfway through an enthralling 2024 season so far, with six rounds down and six action-packed rounds to come. From Portimao in August to Jerez in October, there’s plenty to come from World Superbike this year. And now, you can watch it on the WorldSBK VideoPass with a huge discount. A season pass is now just €34.99, coming with an impressive 50% price drop. Get your VideoPass right HERE.

With five different winners this season – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) – the 2024 season has delivered excitement in abundance with plenty of dicing between riders while there’s history being made too.

10 different riders have also been on the podium with the five above plus Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) all standing on the rostrum. With six thrilling rounds to come, you won’t want to miss any of the action so make sure you get your half price WorldSBK VideoPass subscription now!

The second half of the season is made up of a mix of known and unknown circuits, with Portimao in August, with a unique evening schedule, followed by Magny-Cours a few weeks later. Then, two double headers in five weeks will conclude the season. A new venue at Cremona is first up before a return to MotorLand Aragon, before the second double header at Estoril, returning to the calendar for the first time since 2022, and then the season finale in southern Spain at Jerez.

Not only will you have access to the second half of the season LIVE – with no adverts and every session from WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 available at your fingertips, plus WorldWCR’s Tissot Superpole and races – you can use it to catch up on any action you might have missed or just want to re-watch a particular moment from the 2024 season. And it’s not just from 2024, in fact, with a large archive of classic races waiting for you when you subscribe to the WorldSBK VideoPass!

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Having not won in the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship prior to the Czech Round, it was a memorable weekend for Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) as the 17-year-old Dutchman stormed to a double. Taking victory in two last lap thrillers against Championship leader Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), he moves into the top three overall in the Championship and to within a race win’s worth of points of the Championship lead.

Both races were well timed and well measured from Veneman, demonstrating his excellent race craft throughout the weekend. In Race 1, he left enough of a gap to build into on the final lap with clear air ahead of him, timing his attack for the final sector. After a big moment at Turn 16 disrupted Iglesias and bunched up Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) behind him, Veneman swept through at Turn 18 in an unconventional pass, grabbing the advantage and holding on until the chequered flag.

In Race 2, he was in a head-to-head with Iglesias once more and it was a same Turn 16 moment that caught out the Spaniard. However, Veneman couldn’t make the pass and it was all about a slipstream to the line; contact coming down the straight resulted in an initial 0.001s winning margin for the #58 of Iglesias, what would have been the closest-ever World Championship finishing margin in the WorldSBK paddock. However, for irresponsible riding, he was demoted a position, resulting in a double win for Veneman.

Speaking after the race about his weekend and in particular Race 2, Veneman said: “It’s been really perfect, I couldn’t have imagined it better. I’m really happy and don’t know what to say! It was a hard battle in Race 2; with four laps to go, there was a big crash in front of me and I had to slow down and go around it. I lost about 1.5s to Inigo but with two laps to go, I caught up and in the end, I got the win on the slipstream to the line and I got it.”

Talking about his target to win the Championship in 2024 and the upcoming rollercoaster ride of Portimao, he continued: “Of course, it’s always the goal and now I’m even closer than I was in Race 1, so I’ll try my best to do the same at Portimao. Last year, I was really fast there so I guess I’ll try and do the same as this weekend.”

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With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visiting Donington Park a couple of weeks ago, the British venue not only hosted thrilling on-track action but a massive fundraiser for the Two Wheels For Life charity via auctions and concerts. In total, more than £22,000 (approx. €26,000) was raised by people bidding for special memorabilia and witnessing ‘WorldSBK’s Got Talent’ as personnel from the paddock entertained the onlooking crowd.

The auction allowed fans to bid on items that would not normally be available. The top item was a fairing from the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing outfit, which sold for £2,050. Next up was a Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki VIP experience in 2025, which went for £2,000. An experience with KRT received a highest bid of £1,800 while, sticking with KRT, £1,200 was spent on Alex Lowes’ (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) leathers. Boots from Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) sold for £1,000, while many other items raised a huge amount of money.

Not only did the auction raise a substantial amount for charity, but so did the concert featuring riders, team managers and more perform in front of the fans. This year, people could vote for their favourite with Mario Salles – from the FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup – claiming the win with his rendition of ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran ahead of Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) from WorldWCR, who performed ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ by Shania Twain and Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) from WorldSSP, who wowed the crowds with his interpretation of the Fast Food Song.

Aside from the top three, the WorldSBK Super Troupers performed with special guest Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) joining in on the action to end the show, while Bautista, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha) teamed up, as did Yamaha Thailand Racing Team duo Anupab Sarmoon and Krittapat Keankum. Piotr Biesiekirski (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) also performed in the show.

You can read more about the work Two Wheels For Life do HERE.

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s first back-to-back has been completed and what a set of races it was. After the sixth round at the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic, half the season has been completed and with 18 races still to go, there’s still plenty of stories to be had. We put all the hot stats in one place with some alarming records being – and about to be – broken.

4334 – After 4334 days, BMW lead the WorldSBK Manufacturers’ Championship – the last time was after Nurburgring’s Race 1 of 2012.

1835 – After 1835 days, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) failed to achieve a podium during a whole weekend whilst with Ducati. The last time this happened was Laguna Seca, 2019, when he didn’t score a point.

303 – Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) scores more than 300 points after 18 races of a WorldSBK season for the first time with 303. It’s the third-highest amount since the three-race format was introduced after 357 of Bautista last year and 316 of Bautista in 2019.

130 – Toprak also equalled Troy Corser’s tally of podiums with 130 – that’s joint second overall, behind Jonathan Rea’s 264.

54 – Race 2 marked the 54th race led by a BMW, coincidentally by the #54 of Razgatlioglu.

51 – Having taken a 50th win in the Tissot Superpole Race, Razgatlioglu instantly moved onto 51 with Race 2 victory at Most.

41 – Following his Tissot Superpole Race P3, Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) equals his personal manager’s podium tally of 41 rostrums – that rider is 2003 World Champion Neil Hodgson.

25 – Toprak’s win in Race 2 was likewise BMW’s 25th in WorldSBK.

18 – 18 consecutive points finishes for rookie Nicolo Buleha (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in his first 18 WorldSBK races, a new record in the Championship, passing the 17 of Iker lecuona (Team HRC) in 2022.

17 – A 17th career podium for Andrea Locatelli, all of which have come with Yamaha. He now has the same amount of Yamaha podiums as 2009 World Champion Ben Spies and 2018 race winner, Alex Lowes.

11 – An 11th podium for the #11 of Bulega in his rookie season after Race 2 at Most.

10 – For the first time in his career and for the first time since they joined WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu and BMW record ten consecutive race wins.

8 – Eight top ten finishes in a row for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), his best run since joining Yamaha.

7 – Toprak set a new record, to win from pole and with the fastest race lap for the 7th race in succession, a new record streak in WorldSBK history.

6 – For the first time since Portimao’s Superpole Race in 2021 – which he won – Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) set the fastest lap of a race, with Race 2 at Most leading to P5 at the flag.

3 – A third career podium for Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven), who likewise made it three top eight finishes in one weekend for the first time in 2024.

1 – For the first time since WorldSBK began visiting Most, a rider completes a hat-trick of wins in one weekend.

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Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) had a rollercoaster weekend at the Autodrom Most, with a crash in Tissot Superpole putting him on the back foot but able to salvage three top tens, including sixth place in Sunday’s Race 2 for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The six-time Champion showed strong race pace throughout the Czech Round as he continued to build momentum from his podium at Donington.

Rea’s Turn 16 tumble in Superpole meant he only got a couple of flying laps in and the best he could manage was 15^th. In Race 1, he fought his way into tenth place before going two places better in Sunday morning’s Tissot Superpole Race. With a third row start for Race 2 in the bag, Rea got a good launch but lost ground on the exit of Turn 2. This dropped him down to tenth by the end of Lap 1, and he was as low as 13^th at the end of the second lap.

His comeback soon started though, getting ahead of fellow Yamaha rider Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) on Lap 3 before passing former teammate Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) a couple of laps after. On Lap 10, he gained two places to move into the top nine before setting his sights on the Honda of Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) ahead; he passed the #97 on Lap 12 to claim P8. It was Vierge’s teammate, Iker Lecuona, next up for the #65 and he got by on Lap 17 for seventh place despite the Spaniard putting up a huge fight, before Rea’s final overtake on Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) with two laps to go.

Reviewing the weekend and specifically his Race 2 comeback, Rea said: “It wasn’t a super high, but the trajectory of our weekend was a positive one. From qualifying P15 to going 10-8-6 is somewhat positive. It really highlighted the importance of Superpole again, track position was everything. I guess you could make a case in all races that my pace was a little bit better than the guys around me, and even the group in front could’ve been achievable this weekend, but trying to get through on traffic was really difficult. I made a good start in Race 2. I gave myself half a chance from that front row. Somebody came over the top of me at T2, I need to watch it back. I came out of there and the rpms were so low. I was in first gear, but I thought I must’ve been in second or even third. I got done by the guys who carried speed. Unfortunately, someone came over the top and killed all my drive. Anything positive I did on the run to Turn 1 was ruined. At one point, the group in front, was a bit faster but once I settled into my rhythm, I was able to dispose of the Hondas pretty quickly and then Rinaldi was the next guy on target. I got my head down lap after lap and caught him. We had a little bit of tyre left at the end. I could see the pace from the front guys was dropping a little bit, but they were just too far ahead. It ended on a positive note.”

With not much time between getting clear of the Hondas and having to chase down, and pass, Rinaldi, Rea explained what his strategy was to gain another place. The 37-year-old also revealed how fights with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) in the past helped him to work his way through the field.

Discussing the latter stages of the race and how battling with Razgatlioglu helped, the Northern Irishman said: “I think with seven laps to go, I thought he was just there. Once I got through on the Hondas, I thought ‘don’t give up’. He might come back, he might not. In clean air, the Yamaha can make the lap time; at one point, I feel like I was one of the fastest on tracks. I checked the last few laps. While we have some areas we need to work on, the bike was working good in other areas. I knew if I could put my bike in clean air and ride my lines, I could potentially catch him. When I caught him, it was about where I was going to pass! It had to be, not an aggressive one, but a block pass. You don’t have to go through. I sort of learnt that one on Toprak, racing him in the past. He’d always just level me. Where I always tended to go through on people and put myself wide, I just levelled a few guys today in a few of the corners and that seemed to work. I learnt a bit more about the Yamaha R1 in traffic and how to exploit all its strengths.”

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Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) completed a remarkable recovery in Sunday’s Race 2 at the Autodrom Most to claim a top-ten finish in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. After starting from the third row, the #29 had to take to the Turn 1 escape road which dropped him down to 18^th at the end of Lap 1 before he battled his way back up the field to claim a strong eighth place finish during the Czech Round, with Iannone declaring he had the pace for a rostrum when looking back on his comeback.

Iannone headed into Sunday’s two races full of confidence after a Race 1 podium when he finished third, and he backed that up with seventh in the Tissot Superpole Race, handing him his starting position for Race 2. The Italian looked to climb up the order when the lights went out but found himself on the Turn 1 escape road after taking avoiding action following the coming together between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) at the opening corner.

This dropped Iannone to 18^th at the end of the opening lap, but he soon started making progress through the field. By the end of Lap 7, the MotoGP™ race winner had climbed to 12^th, and he was 11^th when the 22-lap race hit the halfway mark. Progress slowed for Iannone, but he was still able to climb into the top ten a lap later when he got ahead of Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) before getting ahead of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) on Lap 18 for P9, where he would cross the line. However, a three-second penalty for Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in lieu of a Long Lap Penalty for shortcutting Turn 1 promoted ‘The Maniac’ into P8.

Discussing his impressive fightback through the field, Iannone said: “I’m the king of recoveries! At Donington, I started all three races in 19^th place because I had yellow flags during Superpole. On Sunday morning, I had a problem with the clutch. I started really badly. In Race 2, at the first corner, there was a big crash, and I was in the middle. I went straight on and lost everything. I recovered a lot. I’m happy for the results from the weekend but it was possible to achieve much more because we had the pace for the podium today. Now, we’re halfway through the season, we’ll try to improve a little bit for Portimao, make a step race by race. Without the incident, we would’ve fought for the top three.”

Most marked the halfway point of the season, with Iannone on hand to give a brief overview of the first half of his maiden WorldSBK campaign. He’s scored three podiums in 18 races and sits sixth in the Championship standings, 30 points behind Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in fifth and three points clear of Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in seventh.

Reviewing his season so far, Iannone stated: “Sometimes I’m a little bit surprised, because the races are like Saturday. After a long time, it’s not easy. Everybody here wants to win. In the end, we’re a small team, we always do our best. I’m quite happy. It’s possible to improve in many areas. This is our target. We try to improve for the second part of the season. Portimao is a good track. I did a test because I’d never ridden there. It’s not easy.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com