The 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has hit the halfway stage after an incredible visit to MotorLand Aragon. The Aragon Round delivered incredible battles as the action ignited under the scorching sun, and there were some hot quotes after the action concluded too – we’ve gathered the best for you here.

“I made a lot of overtakes; it was like the race against Toprak here last year”

An Aragon hat-trick for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), who said: “The first laps in the Superpole Race were a bit difficult for me because they could open the throttle much better with the SCX tyre, but I knew in my head I had to stay calm, stay in the group and not lose too much time as I knew, in the last laps, I could be faster. The strategy was good. I was very fast in Warm Up with the SC0, I did a 1’47.8 on the third lap. Pirelli said the SCX worked very well for the first six or seven laps, then you’d feel a bit of a drop. I really enjoyed it a lot! I made a lot of overtakes; it was like the race against Toprak here last year. I enjoy these kinds of races more in the moment, because you feel more adrenaline overtaking someone, you see all the other riders close to you. When you win with a gap, it’s nice because it means you have a perfect feeling with your bike. MotoGP’s a possibility, we’re talking for sure. Nothing is done; we’re just talking. I started my career there and it was good at the beginning and bad at the end of Moto2. I’d like to have another chance as I think I improved in these years.”

Bulega also revealed he had the chance to replace Alex Marquez at Balaton Park but turned it down: “There was the possibility to go to Balaton, because Alex is unfortunately injured, but I decided to stay focused on WorldSBK but now we’re in a good moment and it’s not a moment to take any risk.”

“I had a good run out of Turn 9, saw Iker was a bit wide. It was a bit on the limit, I touched him”

Reflecting on his Sunday battle, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) said: “I think they have a little bit everywhere, especially the drive area. When I’m in front, it’s quite easy for them to slipstream and pass me. When I’m behind, I can slipstream, but I can’t pass on the straight. I see a little difference, and also in the data. I was getting boxed in a little bit! We saw from the data that I’m quite good in the second half of the last corner, using not so much lean angle. But I kept getting on the right side, so then I was braking on the kerb which is not to be advised! I enjoyed the Superpole Race. With Bulega on the SC0 and me and Iker with the SCX, maybe it wasn’t a clear fight, but it was nice to be in the mix. I had a good run out of Turn 9, saw Iker was a bit wide. It was a bit on the limit, I touched him. I tried to keep it tight so I came off the throttle and raised my hand.”

The #14 was also full of praise for the work Bulega has done in 2026: “I feel a bit bad for him, honestly, because obviously the Ducati is the best bike, so it’s easy to take away a little bit from what he’s doing. I think to do those races, at the level he’s doing, without making mistakes is really impressive. I grew up in Moto2 and saw all the hotshots, let’s say, coming through and Bulega was one of those; coming through with Quartararo and Mir and all those guys. He lost his way a tiny bit for whatever reason. The talent is there and I think he’s underrated, and I’d love to see him go MotoGP and have a proper chance. I know my level and I’ve won three Moto2 races at Aragon, against good people, but I can’t do it every week. That’s why I’m not there. But I can gauge myself and I can know, Toprak last year, Nicolo this… they’re doing something good and they should get more credit.”

“Fourth position was realistically the maximum we could do, and I managed to achieve that”

P4 finishes in Race 1 and Race 2 for Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), who said: “I really enjoyed riding the bike on Sunday. On Friday, I wasn’t struggling, but Axel was quite a bit faster. He was riding great all weekend. Fourth position was realistically the maximum we could do, and I managed to achieve that on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, we want to improve. I’m sure I could ride a bit better, in the last corner, I was really bad compared to Axel. We need to try and improve our project, which I think we are. Our attitude’s been good inside the team, trying to maximise every session. Really proud of the team, Axel’s doing a fantastic job and we’re pushing each other inside the team. We’re trying to maximise every session. We’re not allowed to say anything negative, which sounds silly, but we’re just positive and move forward the best we can, and I think that’s showing. You can say what you want about the bike, but to win every single race like Bulega’s done, and do the lap times like he has, there’s not much to say. He’s doing fantastically. To win every race, and not make mistakes, while Iker’s been pushing him hard. He’s started to get closer and he’s still not made a mistake. I have to say there’s nothing but respect, well done, it’s fantastic.”

“The thinking was to try something different and take the risk”

Another P2 treble for Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), who said: “I think it’s one of the best weekends. I don’t know if it’s better than Most, maybe. Sam was close to us. I had a good discussion with my crew chief and my manager before the Superpole Race about the tyre choice. If we chose the same as Nicolo, we know we have similar pace. The thinking was to try something different and take the risk. I went slow at the beginning but that was my intention. With Sam, it was my fault, because I was going too slow. We had a good fight, it was fun. I enjoyed it a lot but I’m a bit frustrated because I was there. We need to understand why I struggle a lot at the start. I go faster with used tyres and low fuel, and slow with new tyres. Maybe we need to re-balance the bike a bit. I race with the #7 because I followed Carlos from when I was a kid, and also David Checa. When I was a kid, I went to Valencia to watch WorldSBK. That is the reason and we have a good relationship from MotoGP.”

“I’m happier with the Superpole Race because usually I’m not really good in it!”

Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) spoke about his Superpole Race, saying: “If I had to chose one, I’m happier with the Superpole Race because usually I’m not really good in it! Today, we had a really good Superpole Race and had a nice battle with Alex in the first laps. The pace was strong and we were quite fast. I hope there’s no reason not to renew my contract! We’re doing a good job together, the team and I are working hard; they’re trying to give me the best they can. They’re always pushing, like always; they (Provec Racing) won a lot of Championships, so they have the capacity to do it. I think we’re both happy. Maybe some tracks can be better for us, but we have to stay focused on what we have. Last year at Misano, I was fast, but in the end, I had a bad weekend. Maybe, due to the pressure, I didn’t work well and made some mistakes. But I’ll try to learn from it.”

“I was thinking, if I’m fit to race, just race, don’t think about the result or the pain”

Fighting through the pain barrier, Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) said after a heroic Sunday P7: “Saturday was a bit of a pity because we had a brake system problem and I couldn’t finish the race. In any case, to be here this weekend racing was a big prize. It was just less than two weeks ago when I had my nasty injury. I decided to try to race here on Thursday afternoon, but if I had to jump on the bike in that moment, it would have been impossible. My physio and I calculated that with how fast I was improving day by day, maybe by Friday I would be ready. We did it in the end, it was incredible. It isn’t a miracle or anything to me because I know that being able to race was a product of hard work. I’m very proud; it wasn’t easy to push to the limits through the pain. I was thinking, if I’m fit to race, just race, don’t think about the result or the pain. In some parts I enjoyed, but the last four laps of the race were really hard. My motivation to come back comes from the desire to prove to myself that I can still race and come back from setbacks like this.”

“The only problem is that I suck in Superpole… I’ve been asking myself why for six years!”

American star Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) lamented Superpole but recovered to P6 on Sunday: “What’s frustrating is we’re always looking at the comparisons between me, Alex and Axel. I’ve had the same pace as them all weekend. The only problem is that I suck in Superpole, and it just looks like if I had a better first lap in all of the races, that I could be with them. I was with Axel in Race 1, and we were both together and couldn’t go forward. In the Superpole Race and Race 2, I had good pace. Luckily, I got a good start, but it’s so competitive right now that if you have a bad start or bad starting position, trying to move forward is so hard. I’ve been asking myself why for six years! I can do it, I just don’t know how, I’ve been trying to figure it out for six years. I feel like if I push as hard as I can, I’ll either make a mistake, go wide or crash and not have a good time. I try to stay within my feeling of how fast I can go but everybody can make a 0.5s improvement; I can make 0.3s. More guys make that improvement than me, so I just go backwards. In 2021, I tried just closing my eyes a bit more and do a time, and there were multiple times I crashed on my first lap, didn’t set a time and had to start from last. It’s a fine line. It’s about pushing in the right place.”

“Last year, I was watching WorldSBK, now I’m starting from the first row”

On his Sunday, rookie Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) said: “I was P1 in one corner, but the problem was that at Turn 5, I took the corner in third gear, making braking impossible, so while I passed Iker, I couldn’t stay in first. I’m still really happy with the results, and I’ll never forget this weekend. Iker and Nicolo are really fast; I don’t have the pace to keep up with them, but for me, the Superpole Race was a good race. For me, a podium is possible, but we will have to see at Misano. I’ll work with my team, as a rookie, P6-P5 are good results. I enjoyed starting on the first row with Iker and Nicolo. Last year, I was watching WorldSBK, now I’m starting from the first row. Lorenzo is very happy; he tells me the results are well deserved.”

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