The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is preparing to host the second round of the 2025 World Superbike Championship. Since entering the WorldSBK calendar in 2008, the Portuguese circuit has been the stage for memorable moments, epic battles, and title decisions that have marked the history of motorcycle racing.

The circuit’s debut in the World Superbikes brought great stories, including the farewell of legendary Troy Bayliss as a full-time rider and the beginning of Jonathan Rea’s career in the category. Bayliss said goodbye with a double triumph, while Rea showed signs of the talent that would lead him to break records in the sport.

The 2009 season saw Ben Spies overcome a huge points deficit to win the title in his rookie season. The American rider dominated race 1 in Portimão, benefited from a crash by Noriyuki Haga, and secured the championship with a fifth place in the second race, giving Yamaha its first riders’ title in the category.

In 2017 and 2018, Jonathan Rea proved his mastery by winning races starting from ninth position due to the reversed grid system. On both occasions, the Kawasaki rider made surgical overtakes to achieve dominant victories, further consolidating his reputation as one of the best ever.

The 2021 season provided one of the most intense moments in Portimão’s history. Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu starred in a fierce title fight, but successive crashes from both at decisive moments brought unexpected twists. Amid the drama, Michael van der Mark secured an unexpected victory for BMW in mixed conditions.

The 2023 race in Portimão instantly became iconic. Toprak Razgatlioglu and Álvaro Bautista engaged in a spectacular battle, exchanging positions more than 30 times throughout the race. In the end, Bautista prevailed on the last corner, sealing one of the most exciting races in the modern era of WorldSBK.

Already riding for BMW, Toprak Razgatlioglu made history in 2024 by becoming the rider with the most consecutive victories in WorldSBK. He arrived in Portimão with 10 straight wins and left the circuit with 13, surpassing the record of Rea and Bautista. His extravagant celebrations, including jumps into the paddock pool, became as memorable as his performances on track.

With the circuit’s history promising more unforgettable moments, the 2025 round in Portimão has everything to continue the tradition of electrifying races. Fans can expect more intense battles, possible title decisions, and, who knows, another historic chapter on the Portuguese “Rollercoaster.”

O conteúdo Portimão about to host World Superbikes, a place of (many) stories and history aparece primeiro em M Sports.

Jason O’Halloran will replace the injured Jonathan Rea in the Portimão round of the Superbike World Championship. This marks his debut in the championship with the Pata Maxus Yamaha team.

This year, O’Halloran is competing in the Endurance World Championship (EWC) with Yamalube YART Yamaha while also beginning his role as a Yamaha test rider for WSBK. From 2019 to 2023, he spent five seasons in the British Superbike Championship (BSB) riding a Yamaha YZF-R1, securing 26 victories.

Originally, Augusto Fernández was set to replace Rea. However, the Spaniard was called up to MotoGP to stand in for the injured Miguel Oliveira at Prima Pramac Yamaha for the Americas GP, which takes place the same weekend as the WSBK round in Portimão.

In a press release, O’Halloran commented: ‘I’m excited to get the opportunity to ride for the Pata Maxus Yamaha team in Portimão while Jonathan continues to recover. I have really enjoyed being back on the R1 in pre-season testing with YART, it’s a bike I’ve always gelled well with, and I had a lot of success with the R1 in BSB, so to try it in full WorldSBK spec is something I’m looking forward to. Of course, heading into a race weekend with no testing is jumping in at the deep end a little bit but I will give it my best for the team and for Yamaha while also remembering that the EWC season starts in just a few weeks! I’d like to thank Yamaha and the team for the opportunity and to wish Jonathan a speedy recovery’.

O conteúdo Jason O’Halloran replaces Jonathan Rea in Portimão and makes WSBK debut aparece primeiro em M Sports.

After a complicated start to the season in Phillip Island, BMW seems to have finally found positive signs with the new M 1000 RR. During the tests conducted at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team demonstrated encouraging progress, with Toprak Razgatlioglu showing notable consistency in race simulations.

The 2024 season started with unexpected challenges for BMW. Razgatlioglu, the current world champion, was far from his usual competitive level in the Australian round, while his teammate, Michael van der Mark, could not go beyond a modest 14th place in the main race and the Superpole Race, after an incident in the first corner kept him out of Race 1. The need to adapt to the new bike was evident, compounded by the fact that the team had little useful track time due to adverse weather conditions in the pre-season tests in Jerez and Portimão.

However, the scenario seems to be changing, or at least that is the conviction of Shaun Muir, who was quite happy with what he saw at the Portuguese circuit, with the BMW Team Director commenting on these as follows:

– Portimão has always been a good reference point for us. Despite losing some track time due to bad weather, both riders managed to complete an average of 50 laps per day, which is positive. Michael worked on a series of setup adjustments and made steady progress. As for Toprak, he focused on regaining confidence in the bike and achieved a very strong pace in race simulations. His 10-lap sequences were among the most consistent we have seen with this bike.

And he continued, explaining how these days might have been crucial: ‘With only three days of productive testing before the Australian round, these two days in Portimão were fundamental to consolidate the pre-season work. The team has taken a clear step forward and both riders are more confident. With two weeks until the next race, we feel we have a solid foundation to continue evolving’.

O conteúdo Has BMW taken a step forward? Shaun Mir sees WSBK tests in Portimão as ‘important to consolidate the pre-season’ aparece primeiro em M Sports.

The opening round of the Superbike World Championship was challenging for ROKiT BMW, and even Toprak Razgatlioglu couldn’t fight for the victory. Before the Portimão round, there were private tests at the circuit last week, and the Bavarian manufacturer left feeling encouraged.

The rain affected the work, but despite this, the BMW riders still managed to complete an average of 50 laps per day each. Shaun Muir, team manager, stated, as quoted by the championship’s website:

– Michael had a solid test, working through a list of setup items and making steady progress. On the other side of the garage, Toprak focused on re-establishing his base setting, quickly finding a strong race pace while fine-tuning his setup. His 10-lap race runs have been some of the most consistent we’ve seen with this package.

In summary, the Briton believes there was clear progress before the round at the southern Portugal circuit: ‘The team has made clear progress, and we’re seeing growing confidence in both riders. Now, with two weeks until the race, we feel we have a solid base to build on and are in a much stronger position heading into FP1’.

O conteúdo BMW saw important progress in Portimão tests: ‘We are in a much stronger position’ aparece primeiro em M Sports.

After two years in MotoGP, Augusto Fernández is now Yamaha’s reserve rider… and had his first Superbike experience during last week’s test in Portimão.

The Spaniard, who will replace the injured Jonathan Rea in the upcoming rounds for Pata Maxus Yamaha, rode in Portimão, where the season will continue at the end of March. This allowed him to get familiar with the YZF-R1 and Pirelli tyres – although the test sessions were heavily affected by rain.

Quoted by the official championship website, Fernández shared his impressions: ‘The tyres are a big thing, they’re completely different to what I’m used to. Then of course, the bike is different… A lot of things, but I’m getting used to it, I’m happy with the team, I want to thank them for the job they’ve done’.

At this stage, the #37 doesn’t yet feel fully prepared to race but isn’t concerned: ‘It hasn’t been an easy two days but we’ve managed to learn a lot from these days and we’re still not 100% ready for the race, but we will get there’.

O conteúdo Augusto Fernández made his WSBK test debut: ‘We’re not 100% ready for the race yet’ aparece primeiro em M Sports.

Toprak Razgatlioglu set the pace on the second and final day of Superbike World Championship testing, which took place this Saturday. The second round of the season will be held at the Algarve circuit at the end of the month.

The ROKiT BMW rider was the only one to lap in the 1m39s range, posting a best time of 1m39.592s. Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati), the current WSBK leader, finished second, 0.425s behind.

Alex Lowes (bimota by KRT) secured third place, while Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha) completed the top five. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati) finished sixth, already over a second off the pace.

Further down the standings, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Ducati) ended the day in eighth place based on individual best lap times, just behind Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha).

Riders from the Supersport World Championship also participated in the test. Among them, the fastest was Can Öncü (Yamaha bLU cRU EvanBros), setting a 1m43.623s lap to beat Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) by 0.678s. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate) was third in the category, followed by Michael Ruben Rinaldi (GMT94 Yamaha) in fourth and Leonardo Taccini (Ecosantagata Althea/Ducati) in fifth.

O conteúdo Toprak Razgatlioglu was the fastest on the final day of WSBK testing in Portimão aparece primeiro em M Sports.

At 34 years old, Danilo Petrucci continues to compete at the highest level, now in the Superbike World Championship. He now feels that he must work even harder in training, recalling something one of the greatest legends of MotoGP used to say.

In an interview with MOW Mag, #9 agreed with Valentino Rossi: ‘How do you expect me to be? Like someone who realizes that Valentino Rossi, as always, was absolutely right’.

Asked to explain what he meant, Petrux replied: ‘When I was a young rider and he already had some years under his belt, Vale told me that as you get older, you have to work twice as hard. Well, I thought he was just saying that, and I was convinced that as I got older and stayed physically fit, a rider, thanks to maturity and experience, could relax a bit more’.

However, age is showing Petrucci something different: ‘Now I understand that, as Vale used to say, it’s exactly the opposite: if you don’t train twice as hard and work harder than you did when you were younger, the others will pass you here and there’.

O conteúdo ‘Valentino Rossi, as always, was absolutely right’ – Danilo Petrucci aparece primeiro em M Sports.

Axel Bassani is preparing to face the challenges of the Portimão circuit, where BbKRT will have two intense days of testing, essential for adjusting the machine for the upcoming race weekend. The focus on the demanding and dynamic Portuguese track highlights the importance of fine-tuning the harmony between rider and motorcycle to extract the best possible performance.

The experience accumulated in the opening round in Australia was decisive for the improvement of the bimota KB998 Rimini. The team gathered valuable information and identified specific areas to develop, taking into account the adverse conditions and the technical challenges of a circuit that, although new to many, imposes high technical demands.

In Bassani’s case, the focus is mainly on improving rear performance and straight-line speed, aspects that proved crucial to get closer to the top positions. His experience in previous tests allowed him to identify areas where the machine needs fine adjustments, ensuring that each test session contributes to the team’s progress, with the Italian rider previewing the work on the Portuguese track:

– We will have two days of testing in Portimão soon. It will be a really important test, as, right after, we will have a race weekend there. We need to try to find the best setup for the race. Certainly, it won’t be easy, given that Portimão is a quite demanding circuit, but we already had a day of testing there and won’t be starting from zero. This is fundamental, as all circuits will be new for us when we arrive at the race. We will have new things to try, but without many new items.

Bassani then explained where he needs to invest more to evolve: ‘We need to improve in several points, especially in the rear part for me. After Phillip Island, we found that the base is not bad, as we were very close to the top positions. We know that one of our weak points is straight-line speed, so we have to focus a lot on where we can improve and not think so much about that aspect. We will try, in some areas, to get closer to the top riders’.

Bassani is thus betting on the constant evolution of BbKRT, demonstrating that, through dedication and hard work, it is possible to transform challenges into opportunities for improvement and success in the upcoming races.

O conteúdo Axel Bassani wants to improve ‘weak points’ and knows where to start working at WSBK tests in Portugal aparece primeiro em M Sports.

The preparation for the Portimão test marks a new stage in BbKRT’s campaign, which is in the midst of development this season. The team, which has been positively surprising in the first outings at Phillip Island, relies on the experience and dedication of its riders to overcome the upcoming challenges. In this context, Alex Lowes has been taking a prominent role in identifying critical points and seeking solutions.

During the first round in Australia, the encouraging results achieved, with classifications among the top ten in all races, were proof of the potential of the bimota KB998 Rimini. The experience gained allowed the team to outline the areas where the machine needs adjustments, highlighting the importance of continuing to work on its performance for upcoming commitments.

The Portimão test is, for Lowes, a crucial opportunity to fine-tune the bimota’s response, particularly in the confidence of the front end, an aspect he considers decisive for more aggressive riding in race conditions. Familiarity with the circuit and the willingness to fully explore the capabilities of the new project are elements that motivate him for this challenge.

In previewing the tests in Portugal, the Briton stated: – First, I’m truly excited to test the bimota KB998 Rimini again. It was good to complete the first round recently and understand where we need to improve. Obviously, this is a new project and there’s a lot of work ahead, so I hope the weather cooperates and we can get good dry laps to better explore the WorldSBK machine. Portimão presents a different challenge to Phillip Island and I hope to improve confidence in the front of the bike to be more aggressive in braking. That will be my main focus for this Portimão test, besides enjoying being back with my Team 22 colleagues.

With his characteristic determination, Lowes sees the Portimão test not only as a preparation phase for the race but also as an opportunity to contribute significantly to the development of the bimota throughout the season. The bet is that, with continuous improvement, BbKRT will be able to transform challenges into achievements on European tracks.

O conteúdo Alex Lowes ‘excited to test the bimota KB998 Rimini’ in Portugal: ‘Portimão presents a different challenge’ aparece primeiro em M Sports.

Jonathan Rea is still recovering from a serious injury sustained during the Superbike World Championship test at Phillip Island. The Pata Maxus Yamaha rider suffered multiple fractures in his left foot and faces a long road to recovery before returning to the track.

Days after surgery, the six-time champion shared a vlog detailing his condition: ‘I’m still in a fixed cast, so there is no weight-bearing, the pain is still pretty nasty to be fair […]. My target of getting back on the bike is – you always have a target to work to. But it’s day-by-day, week-by-week in these cases, and they weren’t very optimistic about that’.

Then, Rea described his first post-op week as a rollercoaster: ‘It’s been highs and lows. This week is […] about wound management my leg is in a fixed cast […]. [I’m] trying to do everything I can to avoid any infections or setbacks, and then as soon as we can see that we can work around my foot it will be onto the ultrasound machine, the bone healing machine, I have got my hyperbaric chamber […]. So, just anything I can do to get back on the bike as fast and as safe as possible’.

Despite the setback, Rea remains hopeful about his Yamaha YZF-R1 and the work done in pre-season testing. Reflecting on the crash, he admitted: ‘[It was] just such an unfortunate crash. It was such a small little crash but I got tangled up in the bike when it was somersaulting, and it came down on my ankle. There’s a part of me that watches that, that thinks I’m incredibly unlucky, but there is a part of me that, «I’m so lucky that I wasn’t 180-degree flipped there» Because if that landed on my torso or upper-body that could have been a bigger nightmare than we’re suffering right now’.

O conteúdo Jonathan Rea’s return date uncertain; injury update not ‘very optimistic’ aparece primeiro em M Sports.