Sept 2026: Finding the Limit: Magny Cours, Panama Trip, & Fighting Back at Cremona

And just like that, the summer break is officially in the rearview mirror, and we’re back to the grind.

Heading into the sixth round of the championship at Magny Cours, I was riding a massive wave of confidence. We had a killer test at Cremona just a few weeks prior, and looking at the track map, Magny Cours had my name written all over it. It’s a scrappy, technical circuit loaded with heavy braking zones and a ton of passing opportunities—exactly the kind of layout where you have to muscle the bike and rely on pure aggression to survive the big group battles.

We arrived Wednesday to set up the box and strip the bikes down, capping off the prep with an awesome team dinner. By Thursday’s track walk with the Kawasaki squad, I knew this weekend was going to take a heavy physical toll. The braking zones here are brutal. After FP1, I found a solid rhythm but realized I was bleeding time through the chicanes, struggling to flick the bike side-to-side.

Qualifying was a classic case of what-ifs. I found a good group to follow but just couldn't stitch the perfect lap together. We lined up P21, but incredibly, we were only 1.2 seconds off pole position. The grid was packed impossibly tight.

A quick setup tweak on Saturday morning worked absolute wonders for the bike's agility. Off the line for Race 1, I carved through the pack and latched right onto the front group. Seeing the race leaders in my sights was an unbelievable confidence boost. Despite a minor slip-up on the last lap—running wide into turn five and fighting to find second gear—hanging with the front pack proved we belonged there.

The coolest (and loudest) part of the weekend happened that night. Out in the campsites, the French fans have this wild tradition of bringing completely beat-up bikes with massive exhausts just to bounce them off the rev limiter all night long. Hearing that roaring from miles away was an incredible experience—though trying to sleep through it from our paddock truck was a whole different challenge!

Sunday’s Race 2 was a pure dogfight. Starting from P21 again, I mirrored my aggressive Saturday start, clawed my way back into the lead group, and crossed the line in P14. Grabbing solid points after a tough run at Misano was exactly the reset we needed. My team never stopped fighting, and every change they made pushed us forward

Before the next round, I got to experience something completely different: a flight to my mother’s native country, Panama. It had been 11 long years since I last stepped foot there, and walking out of the airport into those stunning city skylines absolutely blew me away. The mission? Securing my dual citizenship and Panamanian passport before my 18th birthday.

Spending five days in Panama City with my mom, hanging out with my super-cool Uncle Romy, eating amazing food, and reconnecting with family I hadn’t seen in over a decade was pure magic. A massive shoutout to my mom for navigating the insanely complex passport process like an absolute boss. I actually get to return in a few months to finalize it, and Uncle Romy is even pulling strings to get me on track at the local autodrome! On the way back, a quick layover in Miami meant I finally got to see my dad, my brother, and my buddy Tomas from the MBO USA store. Four hours in Florida felt like a tease, but duty was calling.

After landing in Barcelona for a few intense days of training, we loaded up the van for a brisk 10-hour drive to Cremona, Italy. This was the round I’d been waiting for. We already had base data from our pre-weekend test, and right out of the pit lane in FP1, the bike felt incredible. I was instantly on pace, ending the session P14 but less than a single second from P1. It was, without a doubt, my strongest start to a weekend all year.

Then came qualifying—my Achilles heel this season. I got tangled in heavy traffic, couldn't put down my ideal lap, and had to settle for P18. I was frustrated, knowing I had so much more in the tank. But Coach Torres pulled me aside and delivered exactly the words I needed to hear. His advice shifted my entire mindset. I went back to the data, recalibrated, and completely locked in.

Saturday morning warm-up was a preview of what was to come: P9, in a total flow state, just 0.7 seconds off the leader. We didn't touch a single setting for Race 1. When the lights went out, I launched like a rocket, slicing past five riders on the very first lap. Cremona is notoriously a one-line track where overtakes demand pure, unapologetic aggression. I trusted the front end, trusted the tire life, and even started passing guys around the outside. I crossed the line in P10, less than four seconds behind the race winner. I had never felt so united with my machine. It was our best finish to date.