News

Sharp inclines, rapid descents and something that makes you scream and shout as the excitement builds. No, not the latest rollercoaster introduced at a theme park, but the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve; the venue for the latest chapter in the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign. The Pirelli Portuguese Round is the second round of the season but a crucial one despite the fledgling stages of the year, with riders looking to continue their strong form or turn the tide after a tricky season-opener. Plenty of questions remained unanswered as WorldSBK heads to Europe and a recent test gave a glimpse of what the answers could be…

RAZGATLIOGLU BACK IN THE MIX? An epic battle awaits

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) scored only 20 points in Australia and was left despondent heading back to Europe, but a strong test at Portimao – in terms of both one-lap and race pace – means ‘El Turco’ will be in the mix at the venue he claimed a hat-trick at last year. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) heads to Portugal as the Championship leader after his hat-trick Down Under, but a crash put him on the back foot. Across the box, Bulega’s teammate, Alvaro Bautista, stated he had a good feeling with the Panigale V4 R so will the Spaniard be in the mix come race day in Portugal? It’s a circuit he’s won at five times – only Razgatlioglu (six) and Pata Maxus Yamaha’s Jonathan Rea (13) have won more times; between the #19 and #1, they’ve won the last nine races at Portimao. Rea won’t be adding to his win tally as he misses out on the Portuguese Round while recovering from his foot injures, and he’ll be replaced by Jason O’Halloran with the Australian part of YART Yamaha’s EWC efforts in 2025.

A BIG PODIUM BATTLE IN STORE: aiming to be in the mix come race day

What about the plethora of Ducatis who were fighting at the front last time out? Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) secured a podium at Portimao last year while Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) was just off the rostrum with a P4 in Race 2. Perhaps the rider to watch, though, is Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing): in six races at Portimao on Ducati machinery, he finished second on four occasions. Of course, there will be others in the mix too. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) has two podiums at Portimao – both P3s – though his worst weekend at the circuit came last season with three finishes outside the top ten. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) has a P4 finish to his name and both he and Locatelli were quick at the test, while Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) will want to keep his run of top tens at Portimao going; it's currently at four races finishing tenth or higher. Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) is a race winner at Portimao and will be hoping to make the same gains as his teammate, while bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team duo Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani left the test with contrasting feelings; Lowes feeling ‘the best he has’ on the Bimota, Bassani finishing it without a good feeling. After showing good pace in winter testing, Australia was tricky for Kawasaki and Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) but can the return to Europe be a new leaf for the team?

LOOKING FOR MORE: did the test help Honda? Can rookies continue to impress?

Honda had a disappointing Australian Round compared to what they were expecting and will be hoping Portimao is the start of their season in earnest. Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was fourth on Day 1 at the test and the #97 will hope this translates into the round. On the other side of the box, Iker Lecuona missed the test as he continues recovering from injuries he picked up in Australia, but Honda hope to have him back for the round; in any case, he’ll need to pass a Thursday medical check. Elsewhere, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) will hope to continue his strong start to his rookie campaign at Portimao, a circuit he did the double at last year in WorldSSP. It’s more familiar territory for Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) and he’ll be aiming to be closer to the top ten positions throughout the weekend, while Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) will be, like Montella, aiming to continue his strong start to the year. It’ll be the #14’s first WorldSBK race at Portimao, though he was on the podium in Moto2™ there back in 2020. Tito Rabat (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) and teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu will be looking to climb up the order, as well PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing duo Tarran Mackenzie and Zaqhwan Zaidi, the latter of whom finally got some meaningful testing under his belt at Portimao after a very heavily disrupted winter campaign.

Relive the season-opening Australian Round with the highlights show HERE, read the Official Programme for Portimao HERE and don’t miss a second of action using the WorldSBK VideoPass!