Where is it, Aragon was brilliant

Nick Harris takes us through why he thinks Aragon is a welcome addition back to the MotoGP™ calendar

We thought at the start of the 2010 MotoGP™ season we would be visiting a brand-new circuit in Hungary but ended up somewhere so very different. The long-awaited opening of the Balatonring in Hungary never happened, and it was the reserve circuit on the Calendar that took over. The problem was I really did not know where Aragon was but what a gem of a circuit it turned out to be.

We were accustomed to visiting and enjoying the likes of Barcelona, Jerez, and Valencia. Coastal areas and great circuits; finding out just where Aragon was came as a bit of a shock. A different, less populated inland area of Spain with the nearest major city of Zaragoza nearly 100 kms from the circuit. And what about the circuit itself that was going to stage the 13th round of the Championship? Designed by the legendary Hermann Tike it looked great on paper. A tremendous variety of undulating fast and slow bends and a mighty long straight looked perfect for MotoGP™ and that’s exactly how it turned out.

Getting there and finding somewhere to stay was never going to be easy but any inconvenience was overcome with the magnificent location of the circuit. Fly to Barcelona, drive down the coast and then cut inland at Reus. Drive through a succession of hills, vineyards through provincial towns, past the imaginary Meridian line that joins the North and South poles into a desert-like region. It’s easy to understand why they filmed some of the Spaghetti Cowboy films in the area. The imposing castle overlooking the town of Alcaniz gave an indication of the history before arrival at MotorLand Aragon situated by the side of the lake. Alcañiz had been famous for its street circuit on which cars and bikes raced and the tradition continued, as it has at many venues with the construction of a man-made circuit.

The riders loved the track carved in the hillside and especially Casey Stoner. Those fast-sweeping bends leading up to the reverse Corkscrew. The magnificent long left-hander, not that he had time to admire the fantastic views, was made for his sliding style. On the brakes for the tight left and right-hand bends, which Nicky Hayden described as riding in his backyard at home, with the impressive massive stone wall the perfect background. The tight left-hander onto that long straight before braking for the all-important uphill left-hand bend onto the start and finish straight.

Stoner won that opening Aragon Grand Prix in his final Ducati season in 2010. The Australian won again in 2011 on his debut and Championship season for Honda. Then the Spanish riders took over. Following a Moto2™ win Marc Marquez went on to win five MotoGP™ races. Jorge Lorenzo won twice with Dani Pedrosa and Alex Rins grabbing single wins. More recently the Italians have fought back in the Spanish heartland. Franco Morbidelli won the Teruel Grand Prix three years ago with Pecco Bagnaia the winner in 2021, and Enea Bastanini the last MotoGP™ winner in 2022.

So what about Sunday? Surely another Bagnaia/Jorge Martin clash but do not rule out Aragon winners Marquez and Bastanini. Martin a Moto3™ winner, podium finishes in both Moto2™ and MotoGP™, will be desperate to retake that Championship lead with the juicy part of the season about to commence.

It is great to see Aragon back on the MotoGP™ Schedule this weekend. A proper racing venue that is absolutely made for the very best of MotoGP™. Also, I now know how to get there!

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