Xavi Cardelús Struggles in Superpole at Aragon, Qualifies 28th After Crash and Mechanical Issue

Andorran rider Xavi Cardelús faced a challenging start to the sixth round of the Supersport World Championship at MotorLand Aragon on Friday, finishing the Superpole session in 28th position after a mechanical issue in free practice and a crash early in qualifying.

The Cerba Yamaha Racing rider encountered a technical problem during the morning free practice, followed by a fall at the start of the Superpole as he began his first timed lap. Caught off guard by the high track temperature—a difficulty shared by more than 15 other competitors—Cardelús returned to the pits and managed only a single timed lap of 1'55.590 in the final four minutes. This left him with a disadvantaged grid spot for Saturday's opening race at 12:30.

"We've done very little running and gathered minimal data, which will penalise us greatly tomorrow," Cardelús said. "Let's see if we can make use of the information from the first race on Sunday." The second race is scheduled for 14:00 on Sunday, marking the end of the season's first half.

Earlier previews had highlighted optimism for the weekend. Cardelús, who has enjoyed strong results at MotorLand from past Moto2 appearances with his team, described the circuit as a comfortable venue. "It's a track where both my team and I have secured many good results together. I feel very much at ease racing there, and that will also help us take the necessary step forward," he noted beforehand.

The team had hoped to build on progress from setup changes at the previous Most round and secure a strong Superpole to maximise race pace. Despite the setbacks, they now aim to salvage data from Saturday's race to improve in the finale.