In anticipation of the final third of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season, BMW factory riders Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) took to the track, where the #1 and the #60 looked to get back in the swing of things after a month of well-deserved time out of the paddock.

The test was held at Spain’s MotorLand Aragon circuit, the venue set to host Round 10 after the upcoming French Round at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours over the weekend of September 5^th-7^th. The two-day test, hosted August 25^th and 26^th, saw damp weather prevent most riders from taking to the track through most of the morning of Day 1. As conditions improved, more riders emerged from their garages; among that number was the German factory pair.

BATTONING DOWN THE HATCHES: “Overall, I think we are well prepared to go back to racing after the summer break”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was quickly back to his habitual positions around the top of the timesheet after the month break. Day 1 saw him outpaced by factory Ducati rider and title rival Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) by more than half a second. Day 2 saw ‘El Turco’ strike back in kind, his 1’48.598s lap set in the afternoon outpacing the Italian’s 1’49.147s lap by 0.549s.

On the pair of testing days ahead of Magny-Cours, Razgatlioglu said: “It has been an important test. We have four rounds to go this season, and it is important to get the maximum out of every single race. Bulega and Ducati will be very strong in Aragon and Jerez, so it was good to test for two days in Aragon, to prepare for the final spurt and to prepare for that special round. Everyone at BMW and in the team is working very hard because we want to defend the title. It was great to be back with the team, and we have been doing a lot of work at the test. It has been very hot, and we don’t know if the conditions will be like this when we come back to Aragon at the end of September, but in general, we have a good idea of which direction to take. Of course, there is still work to be done, but overall, I think we are well-prepared to return to racing after the summer break. My goal is to win as many races as possible, and this starts at Magny-Cours. After two days of testing, we are all ready now to race again!”

FINAL PREPARATIONS: “It was good to have the time to try different set-up options to prepare for the coming four rounds”

Michael van der Mark's (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) season hasn’t been as dynamic as the Dutchman would have hoped at the start of the campaign. The summer break, however, may have allowed the rider to come back to the paddock fresh. Last season, van der Mark won an important race at a sopping wet Magny-Cours circuit. He ended the season on a positive trajectory, breaking into the top ten with regularity. While the #60 is yet to confirm where he will be riding in 2026, a strong end to the season will only give him more opportunities.  Van der Mark’s fastest time of the weekend came on the afternoon of Day 1, where his 1:50.073s time earned him sixth place on the time sheets. His time on Day 2 was not quite as fast, but still placed him P7 on the timesheets, running more laps than most riders with 138 across the two days.

On his test at the Spanish venue, van der Mark said: “Even if my summer break was one week shorter as I raced in FIM EWC at Suzuka, I missed riding the bike. So I was happy to be back with the team and to take it to the track again. The temperatures have been challenging, especially on the second day. It was good to have the time to try different setup options and prepare for the coming four rounds. We found some good solutions that we can continue to work on next week in France. Now I am looking forward to going to Magny-Cours, a circuit I have very fond memories of and that I like a lot. Let’s hope for a good weekend there to start the final third of the season.“

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