2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship
Round 11 – Portimao
After a Spanish Round at Jerez that had its mix of triumphs and tragedy, WorldSBK is now amassing at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, readying for the eleventh round of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship this weekend.
The Portimao circuit was designed by architect Ricardo Pina and opened in 2008. I rode it for the fist time in 2009, at the world launch of the then all-new first generation BMW S 1000 RR. I have also ridden this awesome rollercoaster of a circuit a few times since. It is a close second to Phillip Island when it comes to my limited experience of circuits around the world. This spectacular track is 4592 metres long, with nine right-handers and six left-hand corners and a configuration with a maximum gradient of 57 metres, a long turn radii that goes from 23 metres to a maximum of 207 metres, and a finishing straight which has a total length of 835 metres. It was down that main straight that I experienced the top end horsepower of the S 1000 RR for the first time, and it was immediately obvious that it truly did set a new benchmark for sheer horsepower when it came to road going motorcycles.
With a few over-crest blind entries along with a heart-in-mouth final turn that seems to go on forever it is certainly daunting. That final bend is a 350 metre curve that even takes World Superbike riders more than 6.5-seconds to navigate at a 50-degree lean angle, as they accelerate from 150 km/h on entry to 250 km/h by the exit. Corners 5, 8, 11, 13, and 14 have on the contrary a very tight radius (about 30 metres), which forces the rider to brake to an extremely low speed, it really does have a bit of everything. Those huge altitude changes and demanding blind entry curves mean that riding it at true high level race pace must be a mix of the truly frightening, and absolutely thrilling.
With Razgatlioglu sporting the biggest Championship lead he’s ever had, the Turk is hoping to increase that advantage further at Portimao, a track that title rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) has won at 12 times, had 21 podiums and four pole positions… As the final European round of the season beckons, it could make or break Rea’s campaign this weekend at Portimao. Striking back at Portimao will put Rea back in contention, but leaving the track with a deficit of 27-points or more will mean that rival Razgatlioglu will be able to finish second in the remaining races, even if Rea wins.
Jonathan Rea
“I am expecting much more from Portimao. I think there’s a few factors that should work in our favour there. It’s a track where I’m quite strong as well. We expect to capitalise. We expect a good weekend. So that’s good – it’s good pressure. I like this feeling. I like the feeling when my back is against the wall. It’s nice. I like gritting my teeth. But I need a weapon to fight with. You can’t just grit your teeth and make it happen. We need to fix the small issues we’re having in these hot conditions with the soft tyre. But, I think the soft tyre is on holiday now until next year. I think Portimao should suit us a little bit better than the previous rounds.”
Toprak’s had his fair share of success at the circuit too; along with his three WorldSBK podiums, Toprak won at Portimao in the European Superstock 1000 class in 2017 and in the Superstock 600 class in 2015. Team-mate Andrea Locatelli was denied two podiums last time out at Jerez and had to settle for fourth twice, although he was a double winner in WorldSSP at the track in 2020.
Rea has not been able to rely on team-mate Alex Lowes too much of late. Lowes was ruled unfit ahead of Race 2 following a right hand fracture from Catalunya; he took two podiums for Kawasaki at the track in 2020, if fit, he’ll aim to add to that tally.
At Ducati, Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) came away from Jerez with a double podium, taking a last lap third place in Race 1 and just missing out on Race 2 victory after a fight with Toprak Razgatlioglu. 69-points behind championship leader Razgatlioglu, Redding’s relying on good form combined with bad luck for the two ahead of him to remain in the title fight. His form at Portimao was mixed last year, with seventh and fifth in Race 1 and Tissot Superpole Race, whilst Race 2 saw him second. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi showed flashes of brilliance at Jerez, but a Race 1 crash and a late Race 2 fade left him wanting more; he took a double top six in the full races in 2020 at Portimao.
A trending topic from the last two rounds have been Team HRC, particularly Alvaro Bautista, who has had two podiums in the last four races. A third in the Tissot Superpole Race at Catalunya was backed up with a fine Race 2 third place at Jerez, beating Andrea Locatelli late on. Bautista was a winner at Portimao back in 2019 for Ducati and last year, he took his first top five for Honda in Race 2. On the other side of the garage, Leon Haslam (Team HRC) didn’t crack the top ten at Portimao in 2020 or at Jerez last time out, so hopes that recent good Superpole showings give race pace gains.
Alvaro Bautista
“We arrive in Portimão after two positive weekends in terms of performance and results. Last year we were competitive in Portugal, and the bike has improved since then, but we will reset everything and head there with a free mind. We’ll get our heads down, keep on working, and aim to start out on the right foot already on Friday and just try and get all we can from the bike. And then, if we can fight for more top-five finishes or the podium, it would be fantastic.”
Leon Haslam
“Portimão is a really good track and, although we haven’t tested there this year, it’s a circuit at which I’ve done well in the past. We’ve seen that we need to keep working to sort out a few issues we’ve had in the last races of course, but this is a circuit that I’m very much looking forward to race at, and it always makes for some exciting races so we’ll see if we can have a good weekend there.”
It was a tricky round last time out for BMW, as Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was only 13th on the grid, battling to seventh in Race 1 and eighth in Race 2. Van der Mark has good form at Portimao, with six podiums during his Yamaha years, as well as a win in 2014’s WorldSSP race. With Tom Sykes’ participation unconfirmed as the British rider recovers from his Catalunya Race 2 injuries, the BMW squad will hope that the new M 1000 RR hits the ground running at Portimao, in order to stay in the fight for a top six in the Championship overall.
It’s tightening up for the best Independent’s battle, with Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) not able to rekindle his early season form at present. His lead over Axel Bassani in the standings has been whittled down to 20 and Bassani’s recent form may well see it reduced further this weekend. With Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) still out injured, Loris Baz is back on the Ducati Panigale V4 R, heading to the track where he took a podium at in 2020 – his first podium since Race 2 at Losail, 2014. Kohta Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) is the next Independent, two points clear of Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), although he’ll miss the rest of 2021; he’s replaced by Tito Rabat for the Motul Portuguese Round.
Christophe Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport Yamaha) hopes to close on Eugene Laverty in the standings, the Irishman’s presence to be confirmed. Isaac Viñales (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) will make an emotional return to racing action and hope to put pressure on the top ten placings, whereas Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing) will be going for a third consecutive points-scoring ride for the first time in his WorldSBK career. Leandro Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team) had made a visible step forward at Jerez and that’s something he will wish to take to Portimao. Samuele Cavalieri (Barni Racing Team) is back again, whilst Loris Cresson (OUTDO TPR Team Pedercini Racing) leads team-mate Lachlan Epis in Lucio Pedercini’s outfit. One wildcard to know about is Gabriele Ruiu (B-Max Racing Team), with the Italian aboard the BMW M 1000 RR.
Motul Spanish WorldSBK Round schedule
Source: MCNews.com.au