TUESDAY September 2, 2025
Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya. Spain
Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya. Spain
Circuit Information:
Track length: 2.894 miles / 4.657 kilometers
Right Corners: 8
Left Corners: 6
Longest Straight: 0.651 miles / 1.047 kilometers
Constructed: 1991 / Modified: 2021
Time zone: GMT +2 / CET +1 / EST +6 / PCT +9
Notes & Quotes:
Leaving the stop-go circuit of Balaton Park, the MotoGP World Championship has headed west, across Europe, to the familiar venue of Barcelona, Northern Spain. After a challenging weekend at the inaugural visit to the new Hungarian track, the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya offers a layout which has suited the Aprilia bikes in the past and is a track where both #25 Raul Fernandez and #79 Ai Ogura have completed countless laps.
For Raul, it is another race on home soil and an easy transfer from his home city of Madrid, in Central Spain, while for his Japanese teammate, the Barcelona track was the first place that Ai sampled the power of the Trackhouse RS-GP Aprilia, albeit the 2024 version, rather than the up-to-date RS-GP25 that currently carries the #79.
The last round in Hungary proved a largely frustrating affair for both Raul and Ai – the #29 sustaining crash damage that forced retirement from the Grand Prix and the go-kart like layout restricting the potential of the new aero update on the Trackhouse RS-GP25 bikes. Ai’s Sunday race came good as he climbed from the back of the grid to finish 11th to gather another 5 World Championship points and the coming weekend, at Barcelona, should prove a faster learning curve with the running he had in pre-season MotoGP class testing at the track, immediately following the final round of his 2024 Moto2 Championship winning season. Indeed, that Moto2 crown included a victory at this track, one of three that made Ai the standout rider in the intermediate class of 2024 and led to Trackhouse snapping him up on a two-year deal which allows him time to build experience in the Premier class of motorcycle racing.
For Raul, the 2.89 mile (4.65 kilometer) stretch of asphalt at Barcelona has been a regular haunt since 2015 and his days in the Spanish Junior World Championship. A second place finish in his breakout Moto2 season in 2021, which catapulted him into the MotoGP class for 2022, pre-empted a strong race weekend last year – the Trackhouse MotoGP Team debut season – when he put his RS-GP23 on the front row of the grid, briefly led the Sprint race and set fastest lap of the race, until a crash at the downhill left, Turn 10, put him in the gravel and out. Raul bounced back with 6th in the main Grand Prix and has the pace to be a front runner when he gets out on the track this week.
The Catalunya Circuit is very familiar to the MotoGP riders and their crews. It is a track that gives the complete workout – long straight-away, open fast turns and some heavy braking points into tight corners – and places the emphasis on good stability in the braking zones and corner exits, demanding well-balanced electronic and aero set-up to maximize the potential of Michelin’s rubber on the smooth, low-grip, pavement. It is a popular track with the MotoGP Paddock and one that attracts a large and passionate audience.
For the US based Trackhouse MotoGP Team, boasting a number of residents of the beautiful Barcelona city on its roster, including Ai Ogura who has made the location his European home, the visit to the Catalunya round of the Championship feels like a home of sorts and the outfit will be looking to make it a strong weekend for both its riders come Sunday’s Grand Prix. Bring on Barcelona!
RAÚL FERNÁNDEZ
“Barcelona will be the next Grand Prix in Spain and it always feels special to be back on home soil. Last year, we had two rounds there and the second one was quite difficult, so we can’t have any clear expectations. We have to go there, work hard and try to find the confidence again because in Balaton we lost this good feeling a bit. The idea is to be back in Montmeló, do our best and try to enjoy myself again on the bike. It’s going to be a nice weekend for us, it’s a really good track for our bike and for me, but we shouldn’t think too much about this. Let’s go and try to enjoy again.”
AI OGURA
“It’s going to be my second home Grand Prix and Barcelona is a circuit that I tried already on a MotoGP bike last winter. I think the track is OK for me, it’s a lot wider and faster than the last two races, so I’m curious to find out how much we leveled up during the last two rounds because we got some quite important things. I just can’t wait to start on Friday. I just want to ride good session by session, concentrate on myself, work with the team and bring a good result on Sunday. That’s the target - hopefully, it’s going to be a good race for us.”
“Barcelona is one of the classic appointments for MotoGP and everybody is looking forward to get there. It’s a track that everybody knows well and most of the MotoGP riders are waiting for, therefore the competition will be very high between all. Of course, we have some good memories from last year in June when we were there, especially from the Sprint race. It didn’t go well in November in the cold temperatures but, as for everybody, it’s a great track for Raul. Also, Ai knows it very well. We are going there, well aware of the progress we’re making, even if in Balaton Park Raul couldn’t show his progress that he had in the last Grand Prix. Ai showed us some speed, which didn’t reflect in the results yet, but we could clearly see it. So, let’s try to capitalize on the momentum of Raul and the progress that Ai is doing after his injury and we’ll of course try our best.”
- DAVIDE BRIVIO, TEAM PRINCIPAL
2025 MotoGP Championship Standings – after Round 14 – Hungary:
#25 Raul Fernandez - Championship position: 12th Total Points: 73
#79 Ai Ogura - Championship position: 16th Total Points: 58
Trackhouse MotoGP Team standing - Championship position: 8th Total Points: 131
Track action at the Grand Prix of Catalunya gets underway with FP1 – Friday, September 5 at 10.45 am (GMT+2)
