WSBK 2021 to finally get underway at Aragon this weekend

2021 FIM Superbike World Championship
Pirelli Aragon Round 1

216 days will have passed since the last round of WorldSBK action, but now it’s game on at Aragon

The 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship fires back into life this weekend for the opening round of the season, coming from the MotorLand Aragon venue in Alcañiz, Spain. For the first time since 2004, the Championship starts in Europe and with new names, new bikes and refreshed team line-ups all playing a part, we could be in for one of the most unpredictable seasons yet.

Who will step up to take the battle up to the reigning six-time World Champion?

Jonathan Rea

“I am super-excited to go racing again because it feels like last season was so long ago. We have had some really good testing recently, where I have felt good with the bike and it is going to be so nice to get on track with everybody else to understand where we are. Aragon is a track we have very happy memories of after last year. We were able to be strong in the Motorland weekend and the following Teruel round. The target is to start this year strong and try to build some momentum into the season. It is going to be a tough couple of weeks in succession with two back-to-back rounds – but kick-starting the racing into action at Aragon is great because we just finished testing there. I have a good feeling with the bike. The new Ninja ZX-10RR is definitely a step forward from last year. I am super-excited about it and I feel ready.”

Jonathan Rea has a sparkling record at MotorLand Aragon. He’s never missed the podium since joining Kawasaki in 2015, a run of 17 a record on its own. He’s also aiming for a 100th win in WorldSBK, which would make him the first motorcycle racer in an FIM Road Racing World Championship to win 100 races in one class. He took three wins at Aragon in 2020 and aims to start his quest for a seventh title strongly. His teammate is Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), who, despite a preseason testing injury, is ready to make a step in 2021. Rea and Lowes have the new Kawasaki ZX-10RR at their disposal, which features a new fairing and more powerful engine.

Alex Lowes

“I am ready to start racing! The 2021 season feels like it’s been a long time coming. It’s a longer winter break that normal for WorldSBK but luckily for me it’s really given me time to get to know my Ninja ZX-10RR properly. I feel like I am prepared the best I can be after all the pre-season tests. I have a good base setting and I’m in control of what’s happening with the bike. This is a good position to be in and now it’s about executing my best performances through every weekend. A big thank you Kawasaki and all the KRT staff for the extra hard effort during these strange times. Motivation is extremely high and now it’s time to go racing!”

The charge to toppling Kawasaki comes from Ducati and they’ve got a strong line-up in 2021. 2020 runner-up Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) remains for a second season, with charismatic Italian sensation Michael Ruben Rinaldi alongside him. Redding took two wins at MotorLand Aragon last year, whilst Rinaldi took a first of his career before going on to take two more podiums throughout the rest of the Teruel Round. Both have tested extensively in preseason, including at Aragon, and with Ducati being the most successful manufacturer at the venue in terms of victories, it may add a different dynamic and complexion to the start of 2021.

The next-best manufacturer in 2020 was Yamaha, with Turkish-ace Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) taking fourth overall last year with three wins. Toprak struggled at Aragon in 2020, breaking into the top five only once from six races at the track, a venue which has been tricky for Yamaha in recent years.

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

“This circuit for me has never been easy one, and last year I wasn’t able to get good results compared to the other races on the calendar. But, this year I think I am in a stronger position because I’m feeling very good physically, and the last test in Aragón was a really good improvement in performance… so I think in the end we are ready! My goal this season? Okay, my goal is always to be fighting for a good position and for the podium, but also this year I want to be fighting for more wins. In Aragon I hope it’s possible, but if not we will do everything we can to get the best results and then go to the next race. We will see, I am feeling now really strong and I’m ready and very excited for the first race to start, and for the rest of the 2021 season!”

Razgatlioglu will have a new teammate for 2021 with Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) stepping up, having dominated World Supersport last year, taking 12 wins – of which four were at Aragon. He’s been chipping away in testing, whilst Yamaha have a modified front fairing for 2021 and an evolved engine, as well the new Brembo front brake calipers. Are these steps enough to start the year in competitive fashion?

Whilst Alvaro Bautista (Team HRC) and teammate Leon Haslam remain with Honda for 2021 and achieved an identical points tally in 2020, there’s still plenty of big talking points at HRC for 2021. The first is ex-WorldSBK star Leon Camier is the new team manager, having retired from racing after an injury-hit 2020. The other major change is the technological advances with the motorcycle, such as an upgraded engine, new exhaust system and seat unit, not to mention a swingarm that had been trialled in testing. The HRC engineers back in Japan have invested a lot of time into making the Fireblade CBR1000RR-R SP a constant front-running contender and with Aragon being the scene of the bike’s first podium in 2020 and the scene of plenty of preseason testing, it could be a strong start. After all, Bautista did win three races at the venue back in 2019, when he was a rookie…

The last of the five factories is BMW, who come out fighting in 2021 with an all-new M 1000 RR, the first Superbike derived from their M-series department. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) starts a third season with the German manufacturer and the season starts where he achieved the first front row for the manufacturer on their return in 2019. Sykes has more poles than anyone else at Aragon, whilst new teammate Michael van der Mark was a consistent front-runner in 2020 across both Aragon weekends. Still adapting to the new bike, which features winglets, a new engine and a whole host of other advances, van der Mark hopes to start 2021 in solid fashion.

Tom Sykes

“I am very excited to finally get back racing, and what better way to do it than to do it with a double header? We start in Aragón, which is obviously a circuit I really enjoy riding. The target is quite clear for me: I want to get back winning races and being consistently at the sharp and the target for me as well as for the whole BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. On the other side, we have got a little bit of more work we need to do in order to get to there. So we will see. For me, I just want to get a good, clean start to the season and get some strong points on the board from these two race weekends. Aragón is such an enjoyable track. Also Estoril, a track which was my first time there last year. Overall, I am very confident and can’t wait to get things started.”

Michael van der Mark

“It has been such a long time without any racing. Testing of course is nice, riding the bike, developing the bike – but we are doing it all for racing. It has been a long winter so I am really looking forward to it and luckily we have two race weekends in a row. That is good, and also at races we can learn a lot more about the bike and try to develop it. In general, I think we are really well prepared, but for sure we have to make some more steps with the bike in development. But as I said, racing is always better as you can have a look at your opponents and see their stronger points and their weaker points. MotorLand Aragón is a nice track to start the season; especially after the test we had there. For us that’s really positive. Estoril is a lovely track as well. Last year, I had my debut on the BMW there, so I’ve ridden the BMW on both tracks and that for sure helps to make it a little bit easier. Regarding our goals for the first races: of course, we always want to fight for the podium but at the moment we are still developing the bike. I just want to get the best possible result. We will always try our best but at the moment I am still a little bit calm with expectations.”

Now to the Independent stars: the undisputed King of Aragon is Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven), who gets started with his new team. Seven wins and eight other podiums, Davies – the highest point-scorer of all riders from the final three rounds of 2020 – may be in the fight this weekend. Another top Independent threat comes from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Junior Team), who took two podiums at the final round of 2020 and has the 2021-spec Yamaha for this year. Lots of testing, including at MotorLand Aragon, Gerloff should be at the front. Three other familiar names with Independent teams in 2021 are Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse), who debuts with the new team, Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team), with the Argentinean-ace starting a new challenge and Christophe Ponsson (Alstare Yamaha), who brings the iconic Alstare name back to WorldSBK.

There’s lots of rookies in Independent teams in 2021, with Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing) being the fastest coming into the season, whilst ex Moto2 World Champion Tito Rabat (Barni Racing Team) joins the grid from MotoGP.

Jonas Folger

“I am looking forward to the season-opener, and to having two race weekends in a row. That is obviously awesome. I hope we make a good start to the season. We have done enough testing, and now it is finally time to go racing. The goal for the season is to finish in the top ten, and it would be great to really make a statement in one or two races. After that, we’ll see what happens. I am intrigued to see what we can achieve in the first few races.”

2017 WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) graduates and Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) brings his radical riding style to WorldSBK to fly the flag for Japan. Isaac Viñales (ORELAC Racing VerdNatura) steps up to the class, whilst one of the youngest teams on the grid is the TPR Team Pedercini Racing squad, with 22-year-old Belgian Loris Cresson and 23-year-old Italian Samuele Cavalieri. Finally, the youngest rider on the grid is Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who has made a solid first impression during testing.

2021 WSBK – Aragon Round 1 Schedule

2021 WorldSBK Calendar

*** = Subject to homologation