Aragon action ahead for home-hero Vierge

Third home GP for Xavi Vierge this weekend and Moto2 debut for John McPhee at MotorLand Aragon

This weekend will see action resume for PETRONAS Sprinta Racing’s Xavi Vierge at MotorLand Aragon, where he will be joined at the 13th round of the year by John McPhee – who will make his Moto2 debut at the AragonGP as stand-in for Jake Dixon.

After a solid result last time out, Vierge will be hoping that this progress continues in his third home race of the year. Although the Spaniard is yet to set foot on the Aragon podium, he has shown that he can make his way through the field at the 5.1km circuit and it is somewhere that he has enjoyed from a young age. Xavi will also be aiming to continue his run of points-scoring finishes, to add to his world championship total and move himself higher than his current tenth place in the standings.

With Jake Dixon deputising for Franco Morbidelli again this weekend, McPhee will make the step up to enjoy his debut in the intermediate class at MotorLand Aragon. Despite no podium finishes at the circuit, the Scot has proved to be a strong contender there in the past and has been in the fight for victory on numerous occasions. John is hoping that this good form and track knowledge will aid him in adapting to the Kalex machinery.

Vierge and McPhee will be on track at 10.55am local time (4.55pm MYT) Friday for FP1, with Sunday’s 21-lap Moto2 race due to start at 12.20pm local time (6.20pm MYT).

“I’m happy that we were able to score some good points at Silverstone and I hope we can continue like this, to fight for the top positions this weekend at Aragon. It’s a track that I really like, because as a kid I always loved Laguna Seca and Aragon has some corners that are similar – especially Turn 8 and Turn 9. With the many uphills and downhills it is a difficult track, as you can’t see the exit on some corners and the way you ride here can make a big difference. I’m really looking forward to being back there.” – Xavi Vierge

“There are going to be some difficult challenges this weekend, the biggest one being that I’ve never raced a big bike before. Trying to manage the extra power and weight for a race distance will be tricky, but I’ve been training hard. There’s no pressure or expectation from my side, but of course I want to do the best possible job I can and I will try to adapt as fast as possible to be competitive.

I really like the Aragon circuit a lot and it’s somewhere that I’ve been really strong in the past in Moto3. This should definitely help the move to the Moto2 class. There’s quite a lot of information I need to learn from the electronics side, but I’m really excited and looking forward to the experience.” – John McPhee