World Superbikes

2018 Portimao WorldSBK: What We Learned In Portugal

Submitted by Steve English on

Jonathan Rea may have had a third consecutive double at the Portuguese round of WorldSBK but that's not to say there wasn't plenty of action and intrigue as WorldSBK resumed following the summer break.

Rea gets creative

Jonathan Rea came away from Portimao with another 50 points and moved ever closer to a historic fourth consecutive title. The Northern Irishman has enjoyed another stellar campaign and has won 12 races already this year. He'll be out to wrap up the crown in two weeks time in France and knows that following his Portimao double, he has one hand on the crown.

“I can't quite believe what's happening right now,” said Rea afterwards. “We knew after coming to the test that we'd be strong, so we kept the bike the same as at the test. I had really good pace to catch Chaz, but he was braking like an animal and I knew that I'd have to be creative to overtake him. I made the move at Turn 10 and it stuck, after that I tried to control the race. I know that my target is to win the title in Magny-Cours because I know that at this point, it's my championship to lose.”

With 116 points in hand over Davies, the title can be secured following Race 1 in France.

Davies digs deep

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A Lap Of Portimao With Eugene Laverty

Submitted by Steve English on

Portimao is one of the most exciting laps of the year for a WorldSBK rider. The Portuguese circuit is used extensively for winter testing. Last month's official test also offered the majority of the field fine tune their settings for their return to action.

The circuit, nestled in the hills of the Algarve, is testing for riders. There's a bit of everything here and getting your eye in and getting the most from the circuit takes time.

“Portimao is my favorite track in the world,” said an enthusiastic Eugene Laverty. “It's something unique! I’ve done so many laps around this place over the years that I know this place like the back of my hand. At some tracks you need the bike to work in a certain way to be fast because the rider is limited in what they can do - this place is the opposite! It's so up and down that you can sit forwards, backwards and ride around the bike around to find a big chunk of time here. The rider makes the difference at Portimao.

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2018 Portimao World Superbike Superpole Results: Clouds Help Pace

Submitted by Jared Earle on

The new World Superbike schedule started under a cloudy Portimao after a Friday dominated by Jonathan Rea. The Superpole one favourites to advance were Loris Baz and Leon Camier, but the presence of Chaz Davies, bouncing back from injury, in the ten riders aiming to get through to Superpole two meant nothing was a given. 

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2018 Portimao World Superbike FP3 Results: Melandri Tops Session

Submitted by Jared Earle on

Marco Melandri was quickest this session, cementing his entry into Superpole two. Jonathan Rea was second-quickest, but in spite of a fall in Free Practice two, he ends the day in provisional pole position as the only rider to break the 1'41 barrier. Loris Baz and Leon Camier head to Superpole one as the favourites to advance to Superpole two.

Session Results:

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