David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) kicked off the FIM Sportbike World Championship’s Spanish weekend at MotorLand Aragon by playing home hero in Race 1. The #38’s win came as his first in the Championship’s maiden season, ahead of his compatriot Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki), who took his second silver medal of the year. Rounding out the podium places, Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) was all smiles as he took a big leap in form from his previous best of P7 at Most to his first WorldSPB podium.
RED FLAG RESTART
David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) took the holeshot from P1 despite a big wheelie, chased by Bruno Ieraci (CM Triumph Factory Racing) until he slid off the tarmac on Turn 5 from P2. The crash will end the Italian’s weekend early, as later on in the medical centre he was ruled unfit with a dislocated left shoulder. Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) inherited P2 early, nearly a second behind the #38 at the outset of Lap 2. On the run into Turn 1 of Lap 3, he had closed the gap to Salvador and taken P1 briefly before the Spaniard got back in front. Farther back, Elia Bartolini (CM Triumph Factory Racing) was able to start his Ride Through Penalty handed to him by FIM WorldSBK Stewards back in Most’s Race 2; yet back on track, at that moment Taiyo Aksu (PATA AG Motorsport Italika Racing) crashed on Turn 4, bringing out a red flag and causing a restart.
SALVADOR GETS THE MONKEY OFF HIS BACK
Riders returned to the grid for the restarted Race 1, where Salvador again took the holeshot. Vannucci was giving it all he had, taking the lead on the soft-bending Turn 7 on Lap 2, making the move stick until Salvador took back the lead on Turn 16 of Lap 4. The first sector of the final lap saw Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) slide inside and force Vannucci wide, taking P1 as he sent Vannucci back to P5. On the last lap, they took the gloves off into the final sector. Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) made a brave move trying to go around the outside of Artigas and Salvador, before the pair cut back inside him. On the run to the line, Salvador got his nose in front for his first race win of the season. Artigas enjoyed a thunderous jump off the line to improve five positions from his P9 grid start to sit P4 in Lap 3, earning him a P5 start after the red flag. He finished in P2 and was the first of three riders within a tenth behind the #38, spelling his second WorldSPB rostrum result. While his final-sector move didn’t pay off, Seabright held on for P3, landing his first podium of the season so far.
TOUGH BREAK FOR VANNUCCI
Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) improved to P4 despite starting from P11 before the restart, where he went on to finish the first race of his home round. It’s a sour turn of luck for Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2), who fell down the order to a P5 finish despite leading the race after the restart. He, however, takes solid points and hopes for a strong close to the round on Sunday. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) made his strong Tissot Superpole session effort stick as he went from P4 at the restart to P6 at the chequered flag.
VENEMAN FINISHES WHERE HE BEGAN
Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) started from P7 both times the lights went out, and he found himself unable to make his way past the Australian ahead of him to finish in P7. Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph) took another much-improved result after his P6 to close Most, finishing in P8 in Race 1. 2025 Yamaha R3 World Cup winner Alessandro Di Persio (ARCO Yamaha MotoR University Team) took his best result of the season so far as the Italian crossed the line in ninth, just six hundredths ahead of Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) who finished in the final spot of the top 10.
The top six from the WorldSSP Race 1: Full results here!
- David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI)
- Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) +0.046s
- Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) +0.061s
- Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) +0.087s
- Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) +0.116s
- Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) +0.254s
Fastest Lap: Carter Thompson (Yamaha) 1'59.657s
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