The FIM Supersport World Championship hits the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 7 of the 2024 season and it’s sure to be a thrilling Pirelli Portuguese Round. A new schedule adds extra challenges for what could be a pivotal round in the title race. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) sits 56 points clear of his rivals after winning the last six races and he can put himself in an even better situation for the Championship… but rollercoasters are famous for surprises and twists, so will Portimao throw up a WorldSSP shock?
ADVANTAGE HUERTAS: a round’s worth of points in hand…
The #99 heads into Portimao with a 56-point lead over Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and will leave Portugal as the Championship leader regardless of the results and Montella hopes he can close the gap. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) is seven points back from Montella and is the only one of the trio to taste victory at Portimao, winning last year’s Race 2, although Montella was on the podium in the same race and Huertas’ team was victorious in Race 1. Perhaps a three-way showdown is in store as Huertas looks to close in on history; he can end the weekend on eight consecutive wins, one shy of the all-time record.
THE FIGHT FOR FOURTH: Navarro hauling himself into contention
Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) has been a revelation since his switch to Ducati machinery, with five top-five finishes, including a podium, moving him into sixth in the standings. It’s a circuit he has fond memories of too, having taken his first WorldSSP rostrum last year, and he’ll be aiming to close the gap to Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) in fifth and fourth respectively. Schroetter has found himself out of the top six in the last four races while Debise has been fighting for podiums consistently in 2024.
INSIDE THE TOP 11: Caricasulo vs van Straalen, Sofuoglu vs Tuuli vs Mahias
Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) ended the Czech Round as the top MV Agusta rider with a P5 and a P6 and will be aiming to continue that at Portimao, a circuit he won at in 2019 when on Yamaha machinery. He’s just 11 points ahead of Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) in eighth who will be looking for a rostrum return, while the battle for ninth is close between Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha). With three points separating the three riders who will be looking to move ahead in the standings, it’s a close fight but what can previous races at Portimao tell us? Mahias has four podiums in five races, including victory in 2018, while Tuuli’s best is a P5 on two occasions, as it is for Sofuoglu after Race 2 in 2022.
EDWARDS VS CORSI: close in the WorldSSP Challenge
The WorldSSP Challenge continues at Portimao as Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) and Simone Corsi (Renzi Corse) fight for the title. Australian star Edwards leads Corsi by just three points, with the Italian closing the gap at Most after Edwards’ non-score. Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) sits in third on six points ahead of Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Gabriele Giannini (Team ProDina Kawasaki).
RIDER LINE-UP NEWS: medical checks to be completed
Several riders will need to pass medical checks ahead of the round in order to compete, with Piotr Biesiekirski (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) declared unfit at the Autodrom Most, and Yeray Ruiz (VFT Racing Yamaha) and Krittapat Keankum (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) declared unfit at Donington Park. Simon Jespersen (Vince64 Racing Team by Puccetti) will again not be present.
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Source: WorldSBK.com