Three rounds to go in the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and itâs heating up as the Championship descends on MotorLand Aragon for Round 10. The circuit in the Spanish desert hosts what could be a pivotal round in the title fight as the Tissot Aragon Round ramps up, with fighting talk already beginning on Friday.
Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): âThis is my last chance before I move to MotoGP⌠we are having an amazing seasonâ
Looking ahead to Aragon, a track heâs never won at, Razgatlioglu said: âIâm really happy because we are having an amazing season. Iâve never won in WorldSBK at Aragon; my best position is second. Now weâre here, this is my last chance before I move to MotoGP. This weekend, Iâll try to win. Ducati are very strong here, but Iâll never give up. Last year, after the big crash at Magny-Cours, I didnât try to take risks at Aragon. Now Iâm more relaxed; this is the only difference. At the test, Ducati always made up 0.2 or 0.3 in the last sector. I did a one-day test at Jerez. It was incredibly hot; the track temperature was 58 degrees. We did a very good job because we conducted a race simulation in the afternoon and worked on a good setup for Jerez. It looks positive. After that, I went to the USA, then back to Turkey, and finally to Aragon⌠Itâs been a busy week for me!â
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): âLast year, I was fast but couldnât put it all together. Iâll try this year to be fast and put all the pieces togetherâ
Speaking about his hopes for Aragon, Bulega said: âItâs a track I like, normally our bike is good here, so Iâll try to have a good weekend staying in the front. Last year, I was faster during the weekend. I took pole, then the Race 1 tech issue, then in Race 2, I wanted to take P1, but got impatient and made a mistake. I was fast but couldnât put it all together. Iâll try this year to be fast and put all the pieces together. At the moment, Toprak is very fast, and itâs been very difficult to stay with him. BMW have been working very well. Last year, Toprak was still not 100% after his injury. This year, he will be stronger, so it will be more difficult. Racing here at Aragon is a good chance for us, but it wonât be easy.â
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): âWeâre fighting with two factory bikes, but that doesnât matter, I want to claim third placeâ
Discussing his fight for third and a potential 2026 teammate, Petrucci said: âItâs a track that I like, weâve had good results here the last two years. Itâs a unique track with its long back straight. In the past, our engine would give us an advantage, as we saw at Magny-Cours; however, this year we arenât as fast on the straights. The fuel flow limits are huge for us, and we donât have the speed we had in the past. Aragon is a track you have to brake quite hard with a lot of lean angle. Itâs a difficult track and very long, so it will be important to ride well from Friday on. Weâre fighting for third in the Championship. Iâm trying not to focus on our current position in the Championship, but I want to concentrate on riding fast. My goal is to fight for the podium after missing it in the last two rounds. Iâve been more cautious than Bautista and Locatelli, so I havenât made as many errors, but we need to find some more speed. Weâre fighting with two factory bikes, but that doesnât matter; I want to claim third place. As for my teammate, I donât know, but I know there are many interested riders. Iâve heard things about Xavi Vierge, Pol Espargaro, and Miguel Oliveira. Iâd be happy to have any of them; the important thing is to have a quick rider with you in the box.â
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): âI think Iâll think about myself and not help any other riderâ
On his fight for third and potentially helping his teammate in his Championship fight, Bautista said, âItâs always very good to ride here. Itâs a track that Iâve had good results at in the past, but every year and season is different. I think the layout fits my riding style very well, and plays to the strengths of the Ducati. This season, we are not fighting for the position we wanted, but itâs always nice to come here. I think we can be a bit more competitive. Last year was amazing from the Superpole Race onwards, which was a great battle with Nicolo and Toprak. In Race 2, we were really strong. We were really fast, lap by lap, we went faster and faster. It was one of my favourite races in my whole career. If I can fight for victory, itâll be nice because Iâll be in front of all the Spanish fans. Our target right now is to finish in the top three in the Championship, and weâre close. Every time weâre close to third in the Championship, something happens, and I lose more points than I would gain! For Nico, it all depends on him. He has to beat Toprak. Perhaps last year, I took some points from Toprak, but in any case, he finished the races ahead of Nicolo. He needs to finish ahead of Toprak to reduce the gap. I think itâs difficult because Toprak has a lot of motivation, really strong performance, and I think Iâll think about myself and not help any other rider. I have a target, and Iâll try to reach it.â
Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC): âIâve made my decision⌠Iâll stay here in the WorldSBK paddockâ
Discussing his future, Vierge stated: âI want first to say thank you to Honda, itâs been a pleasure to be a part of this team for the last four years. I think we all expected better results, but unfortunately, it took longer than we had hoped, and now weâre deciding to part ways. Still, with three rounds to go, I think weâre making good progress over the last month, and I believe we can finish this season with strong results. Being a part of this team was my first time riding with a factory team, which is a dream for every rider. Then, my podium at Mandalika, and lastly, winning the Suzuka 8 Hours – it was an amazing experience. As for my future, itâs been a difficult decision over the last month, but Iâve made my decision, and in the coming days, I hope we can clarify everything. I canât say which team, but I will stay here in the WorldSBK paddock. At the Jerez test, we tested a new swingarm, and we had plenty of time to get to know the new part. It has been very positive so far. We were really fast with it, not only with our race pace, but with our single lap speed, which is something that we have struggled with in the past.â
Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team): âThe triple podium last round doesnât change our goals much, the goal is to work hard and get the maximum out of the weekendâ
After a strong weekend last time out, Alex Lowes said: âIâm feeling good, last round was the best of our year so far. At Misano, we were much more competitive and earned our first podium. Then at Donington, I was really fast, but I made a mistake, so I didn’t get the results I wanted. Most recently, at Magny-Cours, we were once again fast and competitive. The triple podium in the last round doesnât change our goals much; the goal is to work hard, maintain a good attitude, and get the maximum out of the weekend. The project is growing; itâs been a nice process the first two-thirds of the year, and now in these final rounds, Iâm excited to see how we can finish this season. We donât know how weâre going to do here. We know how tight the field is in talent, and the layout of the track significantly changes the dynamics. Ducati always do well here, and Toprak is, of course, always fast. The two long straights don’t play to our benefits a lot, but there’s no reason that we should have a disadvantage in other sections.â
Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven): âMy idea is to stay in WorldSBK. I think I have a good chance to achieve a good result in this Championshipâ
Looking back on his 2024 heroics at Aragon and discussing his future, Iannone said: âFor sure, my win here, last season, was one of the best days of my life. It was after a long time without winning; I remember this feeling well – it was incredible. Never say never, but for sure, this season has been challenging for us. We have faced many challenges and difficult situations, but we are here now. Last year, we achieved a good result here, but we were also more consistently at the top. Never say never, and we will try to have a good feeling from the beginning, but we will see. We have something, but I think now is not the best moment to talk about next year. Weâre waiting a bit more. My idea is to stay in WorldSBK. I think I have a good chance to achieve a good result in this Championship.â
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha): âI want to dream a little bit. The possibility of the top three is open. We need to work hard, do our best and push hard on the bikeâ
Previewing the Aragon Round, Locatelli said: âItâs another opportunity for us to do our best. The Magny-Cours weekend was a bit unlucky. I want to trust the good trend weâve been on until now. We need to forget the bad things from Magny-Cours but remember the good. After Race 2, I considered everything, and we need to take the positive things. Itâll be a different story, and weâll start from zero again. Weâre well-positioned to do our best. We have some tracks where we can take a more significant step forward. It wonât be easy. A third-place finish would be a good result; itâd be good to finish in the top five. I want to dream a little bit. The possibility of the top three is open. We need to work hard, do our best and push hard on the bike.â
