| Taiyo Aksu’s results in the latest round of the 2026 FIM Sportbike World Championship do not tell the full story of just how competitive the young Australian was in Spain this past weekend.
Racing at Motorland Aragon – a circuit the #89 Pata AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha rider showed pace from the off but was left disappointed in Superpole after being hampered by other riders on a lap that could have put him well inside the top ten on the grid.
Putting a frustrating qualifying session behind him Taiyo was progressing well in Saturday’s opening race until a high speedy, scary looking crash, took him out of the race.
Thankfully unhurt, albeit a little sore, Taiyo was passed fit to race on Sunday. Battling through the discomfort he showed grit and determination to finish just a couple of seconds outside of the points – crossing the line in P17 after a valiant effort from start to finish.
Taiyo now returns to Italy where he will focus and prepare for the team’s home race at the iconic Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in a fortnight.
Taiyo Aksu: “Honestly, I am disappointed with qualifying considering how quick we were in Free Practice and how much potential we had. I think we could have been in the top ten in Superpole, but I just made too many mistakes. It’s all learning but I am trying to improve every weekend. There isn’t much to say about race one. I was trying to make up positions and taking some risks and unfortunately, I made a mistake on the third lap and had a really scary crash. I am grateful to the guys behind that avoided me. I was just happy to finish the race on Sunday. It was difficult and I had a lot of pain. It was tough. I got stuck behind a few riders and lost the group. I did manage to set my fastest lap of the weekend and overall, I made a step both with the bike and in my riding and I am confident that in Misano we can challenge for a bit more at the team’s home race.” |
