News

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship paddock is heading to the modern classic venue of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 2 of the 2025 season, and it’s a circuit that has provided plenty of iconic moments ever since it joined the WorldSBK calendar in 2008. Titles have been won and lost, there have been battles that make you leap off your seat and some memorable but emotional moments at the same time.

PORTIMAO’S FIRST ROUND: changing the course of WorldSBK…

2008’s visit to the rollercoaster provided plenty of stories, from the end of one WorldSBK career to the start of another. Troy Bayliss’ final round as a full-time rider took place at Portimao and, despite returning for a couple of rounds in 2015, he signed off in style. He took victory in Race 1 ahead of Carlos Checa by just over two seconds while he also claimed victory in Race 2, beating Ducati teammate Michel Fabrizio by more than 3.5 seconds. On the flip side, Portimao was the start of a World Superbike journey for Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha). He made his debut with Hannspree Ten Kate Honda and put his machine an impressive third on the grid, before finishing fourth in Race 1. It showed a glimpse of what was to come in WorldSBK, with Rea going on to break many WorldSBK records.

A LAST WIN AND A TITLE FOR SPIES: a rookie Champion for Yamaha

Ben Spies arrived in WorldSBK in 2009 and immediately made his mark although he had to overhaul a huge points deficit to win the title. In fact, he trailed Noriyuki Haga by 88 points after Race 2 at Kyalami, the 12^th race of the season, before he slowly started turning the tide. He led the standings a couple of times heading into Portimao, but Haga had a 10-point advantage before Race 1 in the penultimate race of the season. Spies dominated to win and coupled with Haga’s crash, took a 15-point advantage into the final race of 2009. Spies did what he needed to do in Race 2, finishing in fifth, to claim a rookie WorldSBK Championship, and the first Riders’ title for Yamaha, before heading to MotoGP™.

REA'S EPIC COMEBACK: from the third row to victory

In the reverse grid era, the top three from Race 1 started from the third row in Race 2 with the winner lining up ninth. In 2017 and 2018, that meant Rea started from P9 in both of the final races of the weekend. In 2017, the Ulsterman craved his way through the field to claim victory by just under six seconds ahead of Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), while, a year later, it was a similar story. From ninth on the grid, he was in the podium places by the end of Lap 1 before going on to beat van der Mark again; this time, by just over a second.

TITLE RACE TWISTS: Rea crashes twice, Razgatlioglu once, van der Mark wins

The 2021 title race was really heating up between Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), then racing for Yamaha, when WorldSBK headed to Portimao with just 20 points between the pair. That gap suddenly went up after Race 1 when Rea crashed out at Turn 15, with ‘El Turco’ gaining 25 points with victory, with 45 points between the pair. The advantage stretched further again when Rea crashed in the Superpole Race, this time at Turn 13, and Razgatlioglu took P6; the gap up to 49 points. While this was happening, van der Mark mastered tricky mixed conditions to give BMW their first win since 2013. But in the title race… it all changed again in Race 2. The #54 crashed at Turn 15 to end his hopes of a hat-trick, while Rea went on to claim victory. Suddenly, it was game on, with just 24 points between the pair heading to Argentina.

A BATTLE FOR THE AGES: Razgatlioglu takes on Bautista

The 2023 visit to Portimao gave us one of the battles of the year, if not ever, in WorldSBK. Razgatlioglu on the R1 took on Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) on his Ducati Panigale V4 R in a head-to-head fight where they exchanged positions more than 30 times throughout the race. Razgatlioglu utilised his majestic braking technique to stay ahead in the corners while Bautista had the power of his Ducati, making it a battle that got fans off their seats every single lap. In the end, the race came down to the final corner on the last lap, with Bautista just coming out on top.

RAZGATLIOGLU MAKES HISTORY: a record WorldSBK win streak

Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW caused shockwaves through the WorldSBK paddock but, by Portimao in 2024, it was clear ‘El Turco’ had made the right move for him. He headed into the Portuguese Round on the verge of history and he duly made it, with Race 1 his 11^th consecutive win; putting him level with Rea and Bautista. A Tissot Superpole Race win on Sunday meant he held the record outright with his 12^th win in a row, before making it 13 in Race 2. Each win came with a new celebration, from wings, copying an Olympian and going for a well-earned swim in the Portimao pool.

What’s in store at Portimao in 2025? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!