For its ninth round, while waiting to leave for Argentina, Indonesia and Australia, the WorldSBK World Championship stops at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve this weekend, in Portimão in Portugal. After his three victories in Barcelona, Alvaro Bautista arrives there as a big favorite with 59 points ahead of Soil Razgatlioson and 67 on Jonathan Rhea : A nice advantage but which remains relative, compared to the maximum of 248 to be gained.
Here is the state of mind in which the main leading drivers approach this expected meeting in the sun.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), 1st: “ After the Barcelona treble, I am obviously very motivated. We will go to Portugal with great responsibility and this has an impact not only on me but also on the whole team. In any case, our approach will be the same, as if nothing had happened. We have to work with great concentration from FP1 to see what our chances will be this weekend. The Portimao circuit is quite tricky, as it is not easy to find the perfect settings on the track. But at the same time, it's a circuit where I've always had fun. »
Soil Razgatlioson (), 2nd at 59 points: “ I am very happy because we are in Portimao and I love this circuit, I am very impatient. I'm always fighting for victory and we hope it will be the same this weekend. This season is strange for me, but races are races. Alvaro may have a technical problem or something else... I don't look at the Championship based on the races. This track has just one long straight and slow turns, so I love it. I need to win! I think we are strong on this circuit, but in Argentina the Ducati can be strong thanks to the two long straights. »
Jonathan Rhea (Kawasaki Racing Team), 3rd at 67 points: “ Portimão is a very beautiful circuit, and one where I have many special memories. I did my very first WorldSBK race there in 2008. The circuit itself is very difficult. It has a lot of different characteristics, from slow to fast corners, blind entries and apexes, which requires a lot of involvement from the driver. We have had some success there. After Barcelona, where we were able to extract the full potential of our Ninja ZX-10RR, I hope to go to Portugal and continue working with my team to create a good racing package. The race in Portugal is also cool because I have a lot of support there from Northern Ireland. It is also a great circuit for spectators. The goal is to have a great weekend. I really want to get back on the path to victory after this middle of the season, where I had a little difficulty winning. Our team had two good days of testing recently, one in Barcelona after the race and the other at Motorland. We have a lot more information now and I can't wait to put it to use in Portugal. »
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), 4th at 189 points: “ We go to Portimão after two podiums in two consecutive rounds. This is a result that I have never managed to achieve until now. We are fast and the second place in race 2 in Barcelona also gave the team a lot of confidence. Motivation is now higher than ever. This can help us but we always have to take into account the competition, which is really strong. This is why we must work hard from Friday to create the ideal conditions to fight for the podium. »
alex lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 7th at 233 points: “ Portimão is one of my favorite tours, and events in general. It's the end of the European season for us and it's normally a good circuit for me and the Ninja ZX-10RR. I hope to continue my momentum and fight for the podium places again. We've made some improvements to our basic setup lately, especially at the rear of the bike, which has given me even more confidence. I'm looking forward to trying the set-up changes next weekend in Portimao. »
Iker Lecuona (Team HRC), 8th at 236 points: “I really like the Portimão circuit, and it will be the second time I ride here with the Superbike, after a test session in February, so we will see if we are able to start the weekend on the right foot. We have a busy period between now and the end of the year, with a tight racing schedule and testing sessions too, but we are fully focused on the work. Me, the team and everyone at HRC are working very hard and we must continue to do so. As I said, I'm happy to race at a circuit that I know well, and I think this can be another opportunity for us to try to stay in the leading group. »
Scott Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), 9th with 247 points: “ I feel a little more confident compared to Barcelona, I think it's a track that suits the bike a little better. I knew Barcelona would be tough, but the two crashes were pretty tough for us. We had some good races previously, so I put that behind me and we come here to try to get back to where we were, which I think is possible. We thought about 2023 very early in the season, because this year has always been about discovery and development, so every race for us is a test. If we can get results that's great, if not we need to improve and that's what I'm doing. Of course we want to get results, but we have to think about the bigger picture and for me it will be next year when we can arrive confident. I'm looking forward to going abroad and trying new things. As for Gerloff coming in, I get on well with him, he's a great guy, a seasoned rider, which is good, and coming from a Yamaha which, from what I've heard, is a pretty user-friendly bike to something that requires a little more effort, it's going to be interesting. »
Xavi Verge (Team HRC), 10th at 295 points: “ Portimão is a circuit that I love. I really liked it when we visited it during pre-season and that test was very positive for us actually. We just want to continue the momentum after Barcelona, which was a difficult weekend but also constructive in terms of the work and the improvement we saw and the things we learned. This has increased my confidence when it comes to making decisions about which direction to take. One of the most important things this weekend in Portimão will be working on tire life and finding a good electronic setup to achieve that. »
Garrett gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), 11th with 302 points: “I've always been a fan of roller coasters and Portimão is no different! I'm excited to return to a warmer part of Europe at such a unique circuit, one that I have enjoyed and had good speed on in the past. I hope that this year we will do everything we can to get a good result and fight for a top position. It's going to be cool going into this weekend because my old team is racing with Jake Gagné! It should be a good atmosphere and I'm excited for it. »
Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), 12th at 306 points:
