Career First Pole Position And Two Podiums In Catalunya For Taiyo

Taiyo Aksu’s impressive start to the 2025 ESBK Superstock 600cc Championship continued with another double podium in the latest round of the series at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this past weekend.

Starting the weekend steadily, the #89 Arco Yamaha rider was never outside of the top five in the four free practice sessions which were held on Thursday and Friday in blisteringly hot conditions.

Qualifying was a tense affair. Taiyo put down a strong lap within the first fifteen minutes that nobody could match, giving the talented Aussie teenager his first ESBK Pole Position. The sole grid deciding session was not without incident though. Taiyo was one of several riders to crash, thankfully unhurt, on oil dropped by another bike.

Great work by the team to repair the damage to his Yamaha R6 ensured he was in the fight for the win in Saturday’s opening sixteen lap encounter. Swapping places throughout he crossed the line third to maintain a slender championship lead heading into Sunday.

With temperatures continuing to soar, Taiyo rode the almost perfect race. Setting the fast lap of the race he fought hard to take the lead on lap three, a position he held before dropping back to second on lap four. Retaking the lead almost immediately he showed that he was not only in the fight for the race win but also the title. Another third-place finish at the end of a race that saw the leading five locked together for most of it kept Taiyo’s 100% record of podium finishes this season intact. A feat that no other rider has achieved!

With nothing between him and his nearest championship rival, Taiyo and his supporters do not have long to wait for the next instalment of ESBK to take to the track. Round three takes place at Motorland Aragon this coming weekend with Taiyo confident of fighting for the win once again and determined to keep his podium run going.

Taiyo Aksu:

“I am really happy to have finished the Barcelona weekend in such a good way. I took my first pole position which I am really happy with. Qualifying was hectic with two red flags, but we put a lap together early on which was fortunate as in the second run someone dropped oil and a bunch of us went down. The team did an amazing job to get the bike fixed so I could do another run after I was able to ride it back. I went faster but the time was disallowed as I touched the green and it was cancelled but we still took the pole. In race one third was all I could do. I had a little bit of pain from the crash, but it was good points for the championship. Race two we were fighting for the win the whole way. I was leading, then back to third, then second, then back to the lead. I can’t really complain. I gave it everything and we leave with another podium. I am so grateful for the team I have around me. They worked amazing this week. We go again in Aragon in a few days, and I am ready to fight again!”