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After Toprak Razgatlioglu's (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) magic at Magny-Cours last time out, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship arrive in Spain for the Tissot Aragon Round at an interesting juncture in their 2025 campaign. Something will have to give in Aragon, as Ducati’s 8-race win streak at the Spanish circuit prepares to lock horns with the defending Champion’s 12-race win streak.

Streaks and milestones aside, the biggest prize of all hangs in the balance as Razgatlioglu closes in on the Riders’ Championship. 39 points up on his main rival, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), he sits in a comfortable lead currently; however, Bulega and his factory Ducati outfit are confident that they have what it takes to stop Toprak’s dominant streak at the venue that plays so well into their bike’s strengths.

CORNER BY CORNER: MotorLand’s complete layout broken down

At lights out, riders shoot off the line for one of the track’s few truly straight lengths of track before a 90º left-handed turn compresses the field back together. Riders then turn the bike over as they open the gas on the entry to the T2-T3 ‘Carlos Checa’ bend, named after the 2011 World Champion and Ducati rider. One of the track’s hardest corners, in his opinion, he found that the sector confounded many riders due to its blind entry from the positioning of T1, its slight off-camber layout, and the necessity to carry speed through it to get a good run on to T4.

Exiting the right-handed T3, the track runs straight towards T4, a third-gear left-hander that requires riders to brake hard, dropping down to first gear for Turn 5. Riders can get back on the gas for the gradual T6, but back down to first gear into the tight overtaking hotspot of Turn 7. Exiting to the right onto a brief straight, riders dive back onto the brakes, turning right again and rolling the bike over for the slowest corner on the track, Turn 9. Riders then open the throttle slightly, riding downhill to their right through the ‘Marc Marquez’ T10, gradually decreasing its angle as it straightens out towards the left-handed Turn 12.

VIERGE ON SECTOR THREE: “I think this section is very technical, and you can win some time, but it’s easy to make a mistake and lose time too”

This sector of the track is one of the most complex in the opinion of Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC). The section from Turns 12 to 15 is comprised of two pairs of alternating left-handed and right-handed turns. After braking hard into Turn 12, each are relatively slow, culminating in the T14-15 chicane, spitting riders out onto the back straight. Vierge broke down how he sees the section, and what makes it among the tougher areas of the track, he said: “You always have a small straight into it, then you are braking, always seeming to arrive too late as you are banking over. There is a little bump on the entry, so if you brake too late, it’s easy to lose the front. There’s a fast change of direction on T15, then the small left-handed T15 before the long back straight. I think this section is very technical, and you can save some time, but it’s easy to make a mistake and lose time too.”

Exiting the downhill T14-15 chicane, high amounts of force are exerted on the front of the bike; keep an eye out for riders crashing out or having moments there. Finally, the 5.077 km circuit culminates in a long, looping double left, braking hard and requiring precision to correctly time hitting the apex. Charging out of the exit of T17, it’s a short run to the chequered flag, making maintaining speed and exiting the corner well an imperative to prevent any late overtakes by riders close behind.

Tune in and watch as riders lay it all on the line at Aragon this weekend! Watch live or on demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!