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The Pirelli Portuguese Round, penultimate of the FIM World Superbike Championship, came to a close with a perfect outcome for Ducati. The manufacturer from Borgo Panigale leaves the Portuguese circuit having clinched both the WorldSBK and WorldSSP Manufacturers’ Title, with the WorldSSP Riders’ Title going to Nicolò Bulega, and with three out of three races won by Álvaro Bautista who, with 56 races won, becomes the most victorious Superbike rider in Ducati history, surpassing “King” Carl Fogarty’s 55 wins.
The WorldSSP Race 2 victory went to Stefano Manzi on Yamaha, whereas Jeffrey Buis was crowned WorldSSP300 Champion for the second time after earning the world title in 2020.
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| Jeffrey Buis (Kawasaki) |
Satisfaction in the Pirelli camp with standard tyre performance: the combination of front medium SC1 with at the rear the soft SC0 for the long races and the super soft SCX for the Superpole Race had all the riders in agreement, providing consistent performance across race distance.
Standard tyres outstanding and thrilling races down to the final lap
“First of all, congratulations to both Bautista and Razgatlioğlu who were the undisputed protagonists of the Portimão weekend and who gave us some spectacular duels. Álvaro and Ducati confirmed that they are a perfect duo and almost unbeatable, but Toprak’s perseverance and tenacity as also praiseworthy: two great talents who know how to make a difference on the track. As for tyre performance, we cannot help but to be satisfied. On a circuit like this one which is anything but simple, the standard solutions, namely the SCX and the SC0 rear and the SC1 front, were impeccable, demonstrating consistency, speed, and limited wear. Further confirmation of the solidity and versatility of our range which riders all over the world can benefit from since they are tyres regularly available for purchase by the public. Last, but not least, congratulations to Jeffrey Buis and team MTM Kawasaki for winning the WorldSSP300 Championship Title!”
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- In the Superpole Race, tyre choice was more or less unanimous among the riders. Almost all of them were on the starting grid with the standard SCX rear and the standard SC1 front. The only exception was Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) who decided to rely on the SC0 C0927 development solution for the front. The race lost its pole mane straight away Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) due to a crash, with his teammate Alex Lowes also crashing out a few metres behind him. Toprak Razgatlioğlu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took the lead, but three laps from the end, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) closed the gap to just three tenths of a second. Razgatlioğlu managed to fend off the Spaniard’s attacks until the last corner of the final lap, where Bautista came out faster, finishing first and snatching the win from Razgatlioğlu. Third place went to the other Yamaha rider, Andrea Locatelli.
- In Race 2 almost all the riders confirmed their choice of standard tyres they had already used yesterday in Race 1: SC1 front and SC0 rear. The only ones to make a change at the front were BMW riders Michael Van Der Mark and Loris Baz who preferred using the harder SC2. The race was yet again a two-way battle between pole man and championship leader Bautista and his direct title rival, Razgatlioğlu. The two traded the race lead back and forth several times, but the finale was a replay of the Superpole Race with Bautista overtaking the Turkish rider on the last turn of the final lap, winning Race 2 as well. Third place went to the Spaniard’s teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).
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- In Race 2, the riders substantially confirmed their tyre choices from Saturday, so almost everyone was on the starting grid with the standard SC0 rear and the SC1 B1333 development solution at the front.
- After having mathematically earned the world title yesterday, Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) started well from pole position, but on the fourth lap, it was Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) who moved into the race lead, only to lose it to Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) two laps later. The two swapped the leading position back and forth until the 15th lap, when the Yamaha rider took it back and held onto it all the way to the chequered flag. Second place went to Bulega, who managed to overtake Montella on the penultimate lap, leaving the third step of the podium for him. The race fast lap went to Manzi on the 3rd lap with a time of 1’43.627.
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