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After a mid-season break in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship action, bikes return to the track at MotorLand Aragon on Tuesday and Wednesday for a two-day test. Swapping beaches for bikes, plenty of riders will travel to Spain for testing to get back up to speed ahead of the French Round in September. Four of the five factory teams will be present at Aragon, with each day split into two four-hour sessions for everyone to refine their packages.

Championship leader Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will be alongside teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi. Ducati’s plan involves spending some time focusing on the upcoming Aragon Round as well as looking at some little details that the Italian manufacturer would like to test with a view to the future. It also gives the team a chance to refine their bike following two 250-rpm reductions in the 2023 season.

After a strong run of form towards the end of the first part of the season, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) will be full of confidence as he gets back on his Panigale V4 R machine at the test. The Italian is one of a handful of Independent Ducati riders at the test, with Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) and Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) also opting to ride at the Spanish circuit.

Ducati will be joined by the Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK outfit who, for the second time in two months, venture to Aragon for some hot-weather testing with their ZX-10RR. Both Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes will be at the circuit for the two-day test as they look to end what has been a challenging 2023 campaign on a strong footing to give them a boost heading into next season. KRT will be looking to confirm previously tested items, to ensure the direction is correct, while also looking at the future. Kawasaki will have a split programme at the test, with development rider Florian Marino and WorldSSP star Adrian Huertas riding on Tuesday before Rea and Lowes take over on Wednesday.Race riders Rea and Lowes only have one day of their allocated ten remaining, while Huertas will test WorldSBK machinery as a reward for his 2021 WorldSSP300 title success and his ever-improving WorldSSP performances and results since 2022.

While most riders have enjoyed a break, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) and teammate Xavi Vierge have been keeping busy. Between them, they’ve raced in MotoGP™ and the Suzuka 8 Hours since the Czech Round and their busy schedule has no signs of abating. Honda will be at the Aragon Test as they look to find their way back into podium contention, while it will give Vierge and Lecuona a chance to re-adapt to WorldSBK-spec machinery after their exploits in MotoGP™ and in Japan. Team HRC have also drafted in test rider Tetsuta Nagashima for Aragon as they work on their CBR1000RR-R with both their race riders and test team.

BMW will be the fourth manufacturer on track, with ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team duo Scott Redding and Michael van der Mark leading the German manufacturer’s testing programme. The two-day test gives the Dutchman a chance to get closer to full fitness after making his return at the Autodrom Most. BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers confirmed there’d be new items on the chassis during the test as the German manufacturer looks to become a regular podium contender. Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) and teammate Loris Baz, fresh from their success with the team in the German championship, will also be at Aragon.

From WorldSSP, there will be plenty of riders taking to the track. Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) will be on his Panigale V2 as he looks to prepare for the final part of the season. The most recent winners in WorldSSP, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team, will have Most Race 2 winner Tarran Mackenzie at the test, while PTR Triumph will take to the track later this week, on Thursday and Friday, having recently announced Ondrej Vostatek as their rider alongside Niki Tuuli for the final four rounds of 2023.

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