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Located 45 kilometers northwest of sunny Portimao, Portugal; the southern Portuguese track first featured on the WorldSBK schedule in 2008, hosting a total of 38 races since then. It has been often referred to as a, or, the ‘rollercoaster’ as its track layout is anything but flat, and particularly its downhill, turning sections make it one of the most technically challenging circuits on the track on the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship calendar.

Only one rider has featured in every race since WorldSBK’s first race here in 2008, Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha), dubbed the ‘Professor of Portimao’, will sadly see this streak end in 2025 as the multiple foot fractures suffered in the season opener will rule him out from returning at Portimao. While he won’t compete this time around, Rea has etched his name all over the circuit’s record books. The #65 concurrently holds the record for the most in each of the following categories: wins (13), podiums (25) and poles (6).

SECTOR BY SECTOR: Portimao’s key corners

Portimao’s counterclockwise setup starts the race into Turn 1 with its signature calling card, a downhill leading into a corner, a turn Rea describes as “like falling off a cliff.”. Turn 2 is a gentle right-handed bend which leads into the track’s first hairpin, Turn 3. Rounding the bend, Turn 4 is all about exit speed as upon its exit is a long straight. Turns 5 through 8 consist of first a left-hand, into a right-hand loop that double back on each other. Between the two switchbacks, Turn 6 into Turn 7 is a difficult uphill to downhill pair of bends, where the considerable camber of the track side to side can cause grip issues.

“IT’S LIKE A ROLLERCOASTER”: Rea on his favorite sector

Upon Turn 7’s exit, riders enter Rea’s favorite stretch of track, famous for its dynamic change in elevation. On the sector, Rea said: “My favourite sector is the Craig Jones corner. You go from Turn 8, left, up the hill, then drop down the hill, then fast left. It’s like a rollercoaster. You’re in fourth gear, you’re short shifting from first gear, right to fourth – trying to fight the wheelie, get acceleration going forward and change direction at the same time – it’s a really challenging part of the track. Then this leads onto what I call ‘The Balcony’ where you go up and across and down again, T10-T11, it’s always a huge challenge technically, because you’re trying to get there really fast, then stop the bike from backing in too much. You have to try to turn tight and not use too much track. That’s the most challenging part of the track, but the most fun for me is that preceding Turn 9.”

Coming down from there, riders enter a gradual left-hand turn at Turn 12, as most of the track wears away at the right side of the tire, this left hand turn can be taken aggressively without riders needing to worry themselves too much about preserving the tire. From there, riders enter what is in Rea’s opinion, one of the hardest corners on the track. Turn 13-14 starts out with a “big bump” going into Turn 13, largely limiting much feeling from the front tyre, a moment which when combined with the corner’s camber: “Always just makes me feel nervous”. Accelerating out of the corners, riders have to fight the urge to fly into the gradual Turn 15, as the incline and sustained lean angle leading onto the final straight can lead to the bike drifting outwards on the bend.

REA ON PORTIMAO: “It’s the most challenging circuit on the calendar, but it’s very rewarding when you do a good lap”

Discussing the Portuguese venue, Rea stated: “Portimao’s an incredibly unique circuit because of the elevation changes, the blind corners, it’s very difficult to have a ‘perfect lap’ at Portimao. I don’t think you can ever call the best lap a perfect one because there’s always something you can do better. I think it’s the most challenging circuit on the calendar, but it’s very rewarding when you do a good lap. It’s very special, it gives you a lot of adrenaline, because of the G-forces, it’s almost like being on a rollercoaster on a motorcycle. It’s a lot of fun, it resembles a motocross track, so I think that works well for me”.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND: Details to consider this weekend

Portimao’s technical nature requires precision and nerve, two things Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has in spades, making this one of his most successful tracks on the calendar over the years. Since 2021, he has only ever finished outside the podium once, accruing six wins, six second places, and one third place in his career here. While he won a hat-trick of races here in 2024, he is not alone in his affinity for this track, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing -Ducati) and Razgatlioglu have finished first and second (in any order) in seven out of nine races since 2022. In fact, since 2015, only Bautista, Razgatlioglu, or Rea have topped the podium here apart from Michael van der Mark’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 2021 win in his first year with BMW.

Watch the WorldSBK grid take on Portimao’s ups and downs across March 28^th-30^th via the WorldSBK VideoPass!