The energy is palpable at Spain’s MotorLand Aragon ahead of the FIM Sportbike World Championship weekend as the field charges south from Czechia to Spain for what will be the fourth round of their eight-round season. Arriving to the Aragon Round, Spanish rider David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) holds his lead in the Riders’ Championship, but as teams come to understand their machinery better with more time on track, last time out at Most displayed several riders taking a step to further complicate the title race.
TEAMMATES LOCK HORNS FOR THE TITLE LEAD
David Salvador's 2025 WorldSSP300 podium consistency has translated well into WorldSPB, and, as a result of his five podiums from six races so far, he leads the Championship. Across the garage, Antonio Torres looks to bring that into question as he cut the #38’s title lead down to 10 points after the #47 landed his second win of the season to close the Czech Round. With both riders performing at such a high level, the question becomes who will take the top step of the rostrum in the weekend’s two races. The answer is a cloudy one. Salvador has not yet won a race this season, compared to Torres’s two wins, yet last season, on different bikes, Salvador took a P2 podium in Race 1, while Torres finished P17 and P8. Looming seven points behind Torres, Jeffrey Buis's (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) Czech weekend left a sour taste in his mouth as he crashed out of Race 2 and missed out on a strong opportunity to take points. He will look to chip away at his deficit at Aragon.
VANNUCCI FINDING HIS STRIDE
Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) returns to Aragon with positive memories from last season in WorldSSP300 here, where he took P4 in Race 1 and won Race 2. He has shown no shortage of pace this season atop his Aprilia RS 660 Factory, and, currently fourth, another win would greatly help him get up to the front of the pack. Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) rides into Aragon on the heels of a slower weekend at Most compared to his recent other rounds, taking ninth and tenth to slip seven points behind Vannucci. Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) hopes for a return to his Assen podium pace after missing the podium spots by a hair last round, then seeing his Race 2 end early on account of a Race 2 crash late in the contest.
IERACI EMERGES IN THE TITLE PICTURE
Bruno Ieraci (CM Triumph Factory Racing) was the breakout WorldSPB story last round. He and his Triumph Daytona 660 look to have finally clicked; he started from pole in Race 2 and went on to finish second, capping off his strongest weekend in the class so far. Both he and Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) will look to finish on the podium again in order to revitalise their 2026 seasons, as the Dutchman enjoyed a P2 finish in Race 1 of his own last season in WorldSSP300. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) overcame a Race 1 crash to log his best result of the season so far, finishing fifth to set a new high in what’s been a difficult season for the Aussie so far. He hopes that his familiarity from last season in WorldSSP300 here and his Race 1 win back then will help him to consistent results around that mark in the races to come. Rounding out the top ten, Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) and his P8 to close Most tied his best result of the season, and he will look for more consistent top 10 finishes.
ONE FERNANDEZ IN, ONE FERNANDEZ OUT
Joining the grid as a wild card at Aragon, Spanish rider Roberto Fernandez (Kawasaki Junior Team by MTM) will participate atop a ZX-6R 636. He made his debut in the WorldSBK paddock back in 2024 with a two-round wildcard in WorldSSP300 and a full-time ride in the same category last season, where he finished 19th. Currently in P14 in the Championship, Benat Fernandez (Kove Racing Team 109) will miss the round due to a schedule conflict with the MotoGP Red Bull Rookies’ Cup, as he currently leads that competition. His teammate Phillip Tonn will also be unavailable to compete as he continues to recover from injury.
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