By Spain is a traditional pre-season location before the start of each new season, for international road racers putting the testing, racing miles in ahead of roads scene adventures.
Earlier this month there was in action for example, sampling Rehm Winter Trophy races in Almeria, 2025 Senior Manx Grand Prix winner Caomhan Canny and last season, quadruple IRRC race runner-up at Schleiz and Frohburger Dreieck, Freddie Heinrich.
Plus, at the Valencia based Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Racing Legends weekend (7th-8th March), Sole Spanish Manx GP racer of this decade to date, Victor Ortega Perez, gained a P3 finish within the ‘Legends SSP’ category race on young-timer Honda Supersport apparatus, for the Bulevard 86 Racing Team.
Last weekend, the ‘Circuito Permanente de Jerez – Angel Nieto’ named after the superstitiously referred to ‘12+1 World Champion’ and 90-times Grand Prix winner whose only TT Races appearance arose in 1968 (did not finish the 50cc race with Derbi bike), hosted opening rounds of 2026 ESBK (Campeonato de Espana de Superbike).
Two well known names from roads scene circles were competing.
Five times an IRRC Superbike races podium finisher in the past three years at Imatranajo and Schleizer Dreieck, Finnish rider Ville Valtonen aboard Team Sensetec’s M1000RR BMW swooped P6, P7 results in SBK races (P2, P3 in Superstock 1000cc separate classification).
German racer, Felix Kauertz, multi times victorious at Schleiz in IDM ZX-4RR, Yamaha R7 Cup categories, a double Twin Cup races podium finisher at Frohburg in 2023, took eighteenth, nineteenth place finishes from Supersport race contests.
The ESBK Championship continues in May at Circuito de Navarra (7th-10th May), ventures back to Jerez for the final, sixth series bout (29th October-1st November).
It is worthwhile pointing out now, that the Spanish road racing gem, ‘GP de La Baneza’ celebrating this year its’ 65th Anniversary, takes place this August (9th-10th), helping maintain Spain’s street-circuit racing tradition, harping back to the halcyon times at Montjuic Circuit, the Spanish Grand Prix host across the years of 1951 to 1976.
An-added bonus to conclude this article, La Baneza regular competitor, German great Chris Meyer, is potentially this year an Ultra-Lightweight class, Classic TT newcomer.
Words by Jan Vavra
