MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

World Supersport still had seventeen laps of Portimao to complete before the weekend would be complete. 29ºC weather was battered with an 11kph wind charging across the Algarve from the Atlantic.

World Supersport race one at Portimao was the first opportunity that Nicolo Bulega had to beat Stefano Manzi for the 2023 World Supersport title.  

World Supersport qualifying was twenty minutes round the Portimao circuit to determine the grid in both races this weekend, a weekend where the title could be decided as Nicolo Bulega leads Stefano Manzi by eighty five points with only one hundred points remaining in the series.

Jorge Navarro held off challenges from Yari Montella and Nicolo Bulega as Stefano Manzi finished behind Valentin Debise after a fall, missing most of the session as his team fixed his Yamaha R6.

Results:

Stefano Manzi and his teammate Jorge Navarro held Nicolo Bulega off the top spot in the morning's session.

Results:

World Supersport's last race of the weekend would be another fifteen laps of the longest circuit on the calendar. Yari Montella has been sent to the back of the grid for a tyre infraction, putting a hole in the middle of the front row and sending Montella to twenty ninth placer on the starting grid. In an exceedingly unlikely scenario, Manzi not scoring any points and Bulega coming at least second, the championship could be decided today, but only half that scenario is likely. 

World Supersport was fifteen laps of Motorland Agaron and Marcel Schroetter was demoted three places on the grid for slow riding in free practice two. 

World Supersport Superpole qualifying was twenty minutes off the MotorLand Aragon circuit to determine the grid positions for today and tomorrow's races. A cool wind crossed the track to keep conditions interesting. The session was interrupted by a red flag, adding the option of a two-stop strategy to the session, but the track was too long for this to make sense. 

Championship leader Nicolo Bulega remained on top with Federico Caricasulo putting a second Ducati at the top with Stefano Manzi climbing up to third quickest.

Results:

Nicolo Bulega set the quickest time twenty minutes into the session after swapping the top spot with Federico Caricasulo and Stefano Manzi throughout the first half of the session. Adrian Huertas snuck up into second place with five minutes left, ahead of Caricasulo and Manzi. 

Results: