The 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship kicked off last February at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia but, starting at Assen, the WorldSSP Challenge riders will compete in the European rounds of the season. Among them will be reigning WorldSSP300 Champion, Alvaro Diaz (Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP). Ahead of his debut in WorldSSP, Diaz spoke about his feelings heading into the new challenge and his goals for 2023.

Diaz is the fifth WorldSSP300 Champion in six seasons, and he claimed the title last year with record-breaking consistency, taking two wins and 11 podiums in 16 races. The Valencian rider admitted that he is “so focused on the new category” that he was forgotten “quite a few moments of 2022.” He said: “Last year was incredible, I have many memories. As we are very focused on the new bike and the new category, there are many things that I have been forgetting.”

In 2023, Diaz will go from a category where practically all the races are decided on the last lap to a totally different one and with more overtaking through corners. The Spanish rider did try a WorldSSP machine after his title-winning season concluded when he wildcard in the Spanish championship. He explains: “The change from WorldSSP300 to WorldSSP is very big, it has absolutely nothing to do with the other category. As for the line, the WorldSSP300 machine is all about cornering, while the WorldSSP bike is the other way around; you have to brake very hard, make the V-turn, lift the bike up and give it full throttle.”

Despite the great change in riding style, the WorldSSP rookie explains how important it is that his team, the Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP squad, accompany him in his new challenge. He was with the team in 2022 – without Yart, when the team was known as the Arco Motor University Team – and will remain with them in 2023. He added: “It is a team that has been supporting me for five years. We complement each other very well. We understand each other, we know each other, and we have decided that together we can achieve it again. My team also collaborates with Yart, who will give us support, and together we will prepare the bike as well as possible and I will give my best. I believe that we can achieve good things together.”

Several months have passed since the 2022 season ended and the Valencian rider has explained that, while he has not been able to train as much as he would have liked, he has been able to get to several Spanish circuits to train albeit not on his race bike. He said: “We have trained little compared to what I would have liked. I did the last race of the Spanish championship. As soon as we finished at Portimao, we went to Jerez, and there were good results. Then we have done several tests at Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona but it is not the same bike as the one I will compete with at Assen. It is more of a street motorcycle, not so prepared. We used the same suspension as in WorldSSP, and I felt very comfortable and set good times, so I look quite strong.”

A week ahead of his debut in WorldSSP, Diaz claims the first race will be a return to reality because he hasn’t competed for a long time but also that he can’t wait for his WorldSSP debut. He said: “In the first race, the objective is to understand each other well, to make everything clear and, above all, to finish in a good position; to show from the beginning that I am a fast rider. I think I can get a top ten with no problem.”

Diaz also outlined his goals for the entire 2023 campaign in his rookie WorldSSP season. He added: “The objective is to gradually learn, because it is a new motorcycle, a new category… We have clear objectives, such as try to be in the top five in the last races or in the middle of the season. But, in the beginning, you have to test the bike, the Championship and your rivals. You have to see what a 19-lap race is like because, until now, we id 13 in WorldSSP300 and one race has nothing to do with another, especially in terms of managing tyres. In the last few races, let’s see if a podium comes.”

Watch Diaz’s rookie WorldSSP campaign unfold using the WorldSBK VideoPass!