Xavi Cardelús Finishes 25th in MotorLand Aragon World Supersport Opener After Tough Qualifying

Andorran Supersport rider Xavi Cardelús finished 25th in Saturday's opening race at MotorLand Aragon, starting from 28th on the grid after a challenging Friday marked by mechanical issues and a crash.

Cardelús, riding for Cerba Yamaha Racing, endured a mechanical failure during morning free practice, followed by a fall at the start of the Superpole session. High asphalt temperatures surprised him and more than 15 other riders, causing the incident on his first timed lap. He returned to the pits and managed only one full timed lap—a 1:55.590—in the final four minutes, placing him ninth row for the 12:30 race.

The limited track time left the team with scant data heading into the weekend. "We've done very little running and gathered minimal information, which will penalise us heavily tomorrow," Cardelús said after qualifying. "We'll see if we can make use of the data from the first race on Sunday." The weekend's second race is scheduled for 14:00 today.

Starting from the back, Cardelús climbed four positions to 25th at the finish, delivering a discreet result amid ongoing setup challenges. The sixth round of the World Supersport Championship had begun with optimism, as the rider and team aimed to capitalise on past strong performances at the Aragon circuit.

"It's a track where my team and I have achieved many good results together," he said beforehand. "I feel very comfortable racing there, and that will help us take the necessary step forward."