Aragón calling: Vierge set for home round, joined by stand-in Bridewell
The Honda HRC team is at Motorland Aragón in Spain for the tenth round of the 2025 Superbike World Championship. A home round for factory rider Xavi Vierge, the team will also field Honda test rider Tommy Bridewell as a replacement for Iker Lecuona.
Lecuona is not yet ready to return to competition but is on the path to recovery following arm surgery.
The latest French WorldSBK round brought challenges for Vierge, but it was a positive weekend overall for the rider, who finished well inside the top ten in Sunday’s races and was pleased with the progress made. Last year’s Aragón round also brought three solid top ten placements for the Spaniard. With the team having completed a test at this same track just last month, the local rider is confident he can build on his 2024 performance.
British rider Bridewell will be looking to gain more valuable experience on the world stage. The 37-year-old previously competed in SBK at his home round of Donington Park aboard the CBR1000RR-R and took part in a Jerez test session just last week, standing in for Lecuona. The veteran BSB rider hopes to contribute to the factory squad’s knowledge base but will first be tasked with learning the Aragón track, one that he’s not visited before.
The Motorland Aragón facility is located in Alcañiz, part of Spain’s autonomous community of Aragón. Inaugurated in 2009, the circuit has staged WorldSBK events on a regular basis since 2011. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the track combines long sweeping corners with slower, tighter curves and noticeable elevation changes. Boasting one of the longer SBK layouts, the track currently measures 5.077 kilometres and incorporates seven right and ten left turns.
Weekend schedule (CET):
Friday
10.35 – 11.20 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2
Saturday
9.00 – 9.20 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.00 – 11.15 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
9.00 – 9.10 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
14.00 – SBK Race 2
Xavi Vierge 97
“Aragón is my home round this season, so I’m very excited to get there. It’s a track I really enjoy riding, and the feeling was good when we tested there just last month. On top of that, we’re coming from a very positive test in Jerez last week, where we made some small steps forward that gave us not only a good race pace but also strong speed on the flying lap. I’m hoping to find that same feeling when we get started on Friday so that we can make the most of practice and aim for the best possible result in the races.”
Tommy Bridewell 46
“I don’t know Aragon, so first I’ll need to learn the circuit and adapt from the BSB bike to the World Superbike. As a Honda rider, I of course want to do all I can to help the factory team and will be trying my hardest. I don’t have any particular expectations, considering I’ve not been to the track before. I want to enjoy the experience and head into the weekend with a positive mindset. For me to have the opportunity to compete for the factory team in WorldSBK is a real privilege. So I’m really looking forward to it and will do my very best.”
Location Information
The MotorLand Aragon road racing circuit was opened in 2009 and in 2011 it became the fifth Spanish track to host the WorldSBK™ Championship. MotorLand Aragón Ctra. TE- V- 7033 KM. 1. 44600 Alcañiz (Teruel) – Spain motorlandaragon.com
| Pole Position | Right |
| Length | 5.077 Km |
| Corners | 17 |
| Right Corners | 7 |
| Left Corners | 10 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'47.840 (169,484 Km/h) N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R, 2024) |
| Race Record | 1'47.935 (169,335 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR, SPRC, 2024) |
| All Time Record | 1'47.840 (169,484 Km/h) N. Bulega (Ducati Panigale V4 R, 2024) |
| 2024 Race 1 Winner | A. Iannone (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
| 2024 Superpole Race Winner | A. Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
| 2024 Race 2 Winner | A. Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
