MotorLand Aragón

Circuit guide by Chris Pollitt · dates updated 2 November 2026

MotorLand Aragón opened in 2009 on a dusty plateau just outside Alcañiz, roughly halfway between Zaragoza and the Mediterranean coast. Hermann Tilke drew the circuit with Foster and Partners, and Pedro de la Rosa advised on the layout. The bike version runs 5.078 km anticlockwise, it's 15 metres wide, and there's about 50 metres between the highest and lowest points, which is a lot by modern standards.

It's a proper grand prix venue, so the run-off is huge and the facilities are excellent. Bike riders love it for the Sacacorchos and the long back straight, and plenty of European organisers run open days here in spring and autumn. Being inland and fairly high up, it isn't a midwinter sun spot like Almería or Portimão, so treat it as a March, April, October or November trip. It suits riders and drivers with some circuit experience. A novice will cope, but 17 corners take a while to learn.

A lap of MotorLand Aragón

Layout: FIM Grand Prix Circuit, 5.078 km (3.16 miles)

The start straight is short for a GP track, and you brake hard into Turn 1, a tight left that bunches everyone up. From there the track climbs. It flicks right through the Carlos Checa bend, which has a blind entry and a touch of off-camber, then bends left as it crests the hill. Carry speed through here because it sets up the next stop. Turn 5 is a tight first-gear left where you're braking on the edge of the tyre, so don't rush the turn-in.

Turns 6 and 7 are a pair of right-handers, with Turn 7 tight enough to be the obvious passing place. Then the ground falls away at the Sacacorchos (Turns 8 and 9), a steep downhill sequence often compared to the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. You can't see much on the way in, so pick your marker and trust it. At the bottom comes Turn 10, the long left named after Marc Márquez, where you're opening the throttle while still leaned over. The road dips and rises again through Turn 11.

The braking into the Turn 12 and 13 sequence, under the stone wall, is rated the hardest on the lap by Brembo, and it's easy to run in too deep with the bike still pitching. Get through the Turn 14 and 15 change of direction cleanly, because the exit feeds the 968 m back straight. It runs downhill, and MotoGP bikes see well over 300 km/h on it.

The stop at the end is huge. World Superbikes go from about 317 to 142 km/h in under four seconds, so a road bike on track day pads needs plenty of room. The lap finishes with the long double-apex left of Turns 16 and 17, which turns through 180 degrees and climbs back up to the line. Be patient at the first apex and you'll get a much better drive onto the start straight.

Track day tips

• It's cold in the morning outside the summer months, so give tyres a few laps to come up to temperature even on a sunny day.
• Brakes and front tyres take a beating at the end of the back straight. Fresh pads and fluid are a must.
• The Sacacorchos is blind on the way in. Use sighting laps to find a reference point and don't follow someone else's line down the hill.
• Turn 1 is where people get it wrong on the first lap of a session. Cold tyres and a tight left don't mix.
• MotorLand is a big complex with karting and off-road tracks as well, so check which paddock gate your organiser uses before you set off.
• Book through an organiser that offers bike transport from the UK if you're flying out. Several UK firms include Aragón on their European calendars.

Getting there

The circuit sits just off the N-232 outside Alcañiz, in Teruel province. Zaragoza is a bit over an hour away by road, and Reus, Barcelona and Valencia are the other airports UK riders tend to use, all with hire cars to bridge the last couple of hours. Driving all the way from Calais is a long two-day run through France. Several UK organisers, including TrackSense, run Aragón days with bike transport from collection points around the UK, so you only need to fly. Alcañiz has hotels and there's one on the MotorLand site itself.