Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi will be back in the saddle of their YZR-M1s this weekend for the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón. A round that the team always thoroughly enjoys because of its great atmosphere and the loud cheers of the fans.

Viñales is in high spirits after his second-consecutive third place at the San Marino GP, making him all the more intent on gunning for another top position this weekend. The Aragon GP is a very special venue to him: it's one of his ’home Grands Prix‘ and he has fond memories of previous editions.

The Spaniard greeted his fans from the Aragon podium three times before. He secured a third place in 2011 in the 125cc class, a Moto3 second place finish in 2013, and a Moto2 victory in 2014. He would love nothing better than adding a MotoGP podium to the set this time round.

Rossi is looking to make another step at the upcoming showdown. Following his home Grand Prix last weekend, where he took his third-consecutive fourth place, the Doctor has his heart set on a place on the podium this weekend.

The Italian acknowledges that the Aragon circuit is a difficult track for him, but he has had his fair share of success there. The Aragon round was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2010, and since then the nine-time World Champion already stood on the podium three times, securing third places in the premier class in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

The MotorLand Aragón circuit is situated near the town of Alcañiz, a few hours' drive from Barcelona. The fast 5.1km long track has ten left and seven right corners, and a 968m longest straight. It was given the IRTA Best Grand Prix of the Year award after MotoGP‘s first visit, reflecting the riders' and the fans' appreciation of the venue. The event draws thousands of visitors, also because it's the last European race before the overseas GPs in Asia and Oceania, making it a round motorsport enthusiasts don't want to miss.

For those who want to get to know the circuit better, check out Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP eSport Rider Lorenzo Daretti’s eLap around the MotorLand Aragón. The Italian will also be present at the track this weekend to take part in the second round of the MotoGP eSport Global Series, for which two races are held on Friday, 20th September. The event will be broadcasted live from 19:00 – 20:15 (local track time: GMT+2) on the MotoGP eSport channels.


Maverick Viñales - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team

“After the Misano podium I‘m feeling extra optimistic about coming here in Aragon. Like every Spanish round, this GP is very special to me because the fans and atmosphere are great, and I really like this track. We have been doing good work in the previous rounds, so I expect to be fast here too. We will try to stay focused on our goal, we want to keep improving during every race weekend. We‘ve seen our potential get better and better since starting the second half of the season, so I think that we can do a good job.”

Valentino Rossi - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team

“After the race in Misano we have travelled to Aragon for a back-to-back race. We‘ve seen at the San Marino GP what we need to work on, so that‘s what we will be focusing on during this weekend - though Aragon is a difficult track for us, historically. We always struggled here, but this time we arrive after some good races. For sure we will have to work hard this GP, but we hope to be more competitive than we have been in the past.”

Massimo Meregalli - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“We have travelled straight from the team‘s and Vale‘s home GP to Maverick's home race. This is another significant round for all of us, as it‘s the last GP before the overseas leg. We won‘t see our European fans until the final round in Valencia, and we want to say ’Goodbye‘ to them with a good result. Maverick has built up some good momentum, having scored two third places in a row, and he really likes the Aragon track. His fans can rest assured that he will be 100% committed to get another top result this weekend. Vale is not the biggest fan of this circuit, but he too has visited the podium three times, in his case in the premier class, and he‘s very motivated to get back onto the rostrum. We expect that this weekend will require hard work and we are very interested to see if the steps forward that we took in Misano will also work very well here.”