The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has rolled into Spain and the stunning MotorLand Aragon for Round 6 of the 2026 campaign. Track action gets underway on Friday but the fighting talk has already started, so get up to speed with the best quotes from Thursday’s debriefs at the Aragon Round.
“I like this track, but for sure it’ll be hard with the higher temperatures”
On his impending home round, Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) said: “I’m excited for my home round, I like this track a lot, but for sure it’ll be a hard weekend with the higher temperatures. It’ll be the first time trying the Ducati at such high ground temperatures; it will be interesting to see what we can carry over from the hot Misano test here in this round. I know the tracks are different, but we will work on implementing the test results. The objective is to win, but it has been the objective since Portimao. I haven’t been able to do it yet, but it would be great to do it here in Aragon in front of my family, friends and all of the support from the Spanish fans. I’ll work run by run to be ready for the races. At the Misano test, we focused a lot on race pace; we tried things on a very different setup. My manager is at Aragon. The team are happy with my performances, I’m happy for sure! The objective is to continue next year together.”
“The goal is to close the gap to first; we will see if Aragon will be our weekend”
On how he’s feeling pre-Aragon, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) said: “I’m in a good moment in my career. After Most and the Misano test, I’m feeling really good on the bike. We have been improving every day, and we need to continue in this way. The goal is to close the gap to first place; we will see if Aragon will be our weekend. Looking back a few months ago, I would not have anticipated being in this position; it wasn’t in our plans. Our idea to start the season was just to build on my rookie year in 2025. Looking at the Yari of last year, I would not have thought I’d be the Yari I am today. We’ve taken a big step, and I think we can maintain this momentum. We tried a lot of things, including a new Suter swingarm, during testing. It was a good improvement, but we need to continue working on the setup and other areas. The Suter swingarm makes the bike ride a bit harder, but I felt more stability with it on the corner exit, which is an area where I felt we were missing something. Elsewhere, I felt it gave us better grip, so it was interesting. It’s a big change, but Suter and Barni will make some changes before we adopt it. We will see if we will get it before the end of the season.”
“We tried something at the test on the settings side”
Discussing the recent Misano test and his future, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) said: “We had a test at Misano, so I think we found something that I like. I’m curious to try it here. I’m confident. It’s a track I like; Ducati are always very strong here. I have everything I need to go fast. We’ll have to keep an eye on the weather, as it looks very, very hot. We tried something at the test on the settings side. During the winter, we never had a chance to play a little bit with the bike. It was like a pre-season test. We tried a lot of different setups. We’re just continuing to talk. My manager is at Mugello this weekend, so I hope to have some more news after the weekend.”
“We’ve made some really amazing progress with the bike”
On the upcoming Aragon Round, Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) said: “I feel confident in myself after a strong Czech Round, and I feel like we had a strong test at Misano, so I feel like we’re coming off a strong couple of days on track. I didn’t know that I was the top non-Ducati over the last four races. I think the other riders like Miguel have had some bad luck. Aside from the other riders, I think we’ve made some amazing progress with the bike. I’m happy with the changes we’ve made to the suspension, geometry and electronics; everything’s coming together in a much better way. We’ve kept moving the program forward and avoiding mistakes.”
“We lost the way a little bit, but it was really positive to get the feeling back”
On the upcoming attack at Aragon, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) said: “Obviously, it’s nice to be here in the good weather, this is a circuit that I enjoy, and I have some good memories here from Moto2 and last year I had a couple of good races. It was really important for the team and me to get the chance to test after the last two rounds at Balaton, then at Most not really going how we want it. It was a very positive test; we tested some things we’re bringing into this weekend. I feel that I have my feeling and confidence back, and I’m looking forward to it. We lost the way a bit, but it was really positive to get the feeling back, and now we’re coming here on the back of that. We worked on the ergonomics, adding a few add-ons on the fuel tank and seat as well as some new Ohlins components. It’s a track that really suits my style. The conditions will be hot, but I think it’s something that will play into my hands.”
“I’m having to take baby steps, but I want to walk before I can run… and normally, I want to run before I can walk!”
Detailing his recovery and discussing his upcoming weekend, Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) said: “It’s my ‘Round 1’ so it seems quite strange because the last time I raced was in November in Moto2. Being here and finally able to race for Honda is obviously a special feeling for me. It’s been such a long journey for me to get back. I’m still far from 100%, but I’ve passed all the medical checks to be fit enough to ride. It’s been a long, long journey. There have been a lot of dark days, and I honestly didn’t know if I was going to get back to full fitness with my wrist; it was pretty bad. The Misano test was difficult because I was limited in the number of laps I could do per run. I’m having to take baby steps with it, but I want to walk before I can run… and for me, normally, I want to run before I can walk! We’ll try to do a longer run than I’ve done until now, and keep figuring out this bike, because I’ve not done a lot of dry laps with this bike.”
“Misano was the first time we had plenty of time to test lots of things”
On his home round to come, Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) said: “I’m excited for our first home round of the season! We’re arriving from two days of testing at Misano after finally having some good weather. We profited from that; we tried many things and ran many laps. I hope that we can start the weekend strong and make good progress during the weekend. This was the first time we had plenty of time to test lots of things and work on our base to find the limits. I hope that we can use that to close the gap with the top guys. It’s been hot, it looks like the level of grip here is getting higher and higher so we hope to take positive results.”
“In my mind, the goal wasn’t to be here, I just wanted to recover well! Day by day, I saw big improvements”
Declared fit for Friday action at the least, Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) said: “I feel, fortunately, much better than at Most. The crash at Most wasn’t really scary, I just had a bit of bad luck because I kept my foot between the bike and the ground. I had really good surgery to fix some broken bones. I didn’t have any expectations about when I’d come back. I worked every day a lot to recover best, and as soon as possible. In my mind, the goal wasn’t to be here; I just wanted to recover well! Day by day, I saw big improvements. Last Tuesday, I saw my doctor, and we decided why not try to race, because my physical condition was improving a lot. I don’t have any expectations for FP1. If I see or feel that it’s difficult for me, then I’ll stop, but if I’m able to continue, I will. It’s true that I’ve done really well here in the past, and it’s a home round, so it’s very important. Maybe it’s an extra motivation for me.”
“It’s very difficult because every rider is very fast and this is my first year in WorldSBK”
One of WorldSBK’s in-form riders, Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) said ahead of Aragon: “I’m really happy for the results in Hungary and Most. I worked very well with the team. Now, we’re here at Aragon, my favourite circuit, but it’s difficult in WorldSBK because it’s long. It’s very difficult because every rider is very fast, and this is my first year in WorldSBK. I improved my best result for the team and me, but the podium is far away. I worked on the electronics and settings at Misano, and I improved different things with the electronics.”
“I’m working very well with this team; we have a good bike. The environment is good”
Previewing Aragon and outlining his goals to stay with GoEleven Ducati in 2027, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) said: “We come here with positive vibes. I have to finish the first part of the season well. Here at Aragon, we can try to be fast again. It’s a tricky track, so you have to ride well, and in these hot conditions it’ll be quite difficult for everybody. It’s been a big surprise. Coming from MotoE, this challenge in WorldSBK was a bit of a surprise for the team and me. I confirmed my speed from the past. It’s a new story, and I want to continue improving to be one of the top riders again. Misano was a good chance to try things, as it was the first time with hot conditions. I’m happy about the speed, but we tried a lot of things and lots of setups to see if our setup was a good base. The lap time wasn’t so fast. I’m working very well with this team; we have a good bike. The environment is good. I feel like I can just focus on riding and enjoying it off the track as well. I’m very happy about this, and I hope to continue with them. Let’s see after the halfway point if something changes, but I’m happy to continue with them.”
