It is the ninth round of the 2022 WorldSBK season, the last in Europe before overseas trips to Argentina, Indonesia, and Australia.
After a fantastic weekend in Barcelona, Alvaro Bautista arrives in Portugal with the aim of defending his 59-point lead over Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) in the World Superbike championship standings.
Michael Rinaldi is looking to continue the excellent form and results that have allowed him to solidly take fourth place in the championship standings, 32 points ahead of Locatelli (Yamaha)
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“After the Barcelona hat-trick, I am obviously very motivated. We’ll go to Portugal with a great charge and that has an impact not only on me but on the whole team. In any case, our approach will be the same, as if nothing had happened. We have to work with high concentration right from FP1 to see what our chances will be at the weekend. The Portimao circuit is quite tricky as it is not easy to find a perfect set-up around the track. In the same way, though, it is a circuit where I have always had fun”.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“We go to Portimao after two podiums in two consecutive rounds. It’s a result I’ve never managed to achieve so far. We are fast and the second place in Race-2 in Barcelona has also given the team a lot of confidence. Motivation is now higher than ever. This can help us but we must always consider the competition, which is really strong. That is why we have to work hard right from Friday to build the ideal conditions to fight for the podium”.
- WorldSSP
Coming back from a difficult weekend in Barcelona, Nicolò Bulega will jump aboard the Ducati Panigale V2 of the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team with the aim of regaining the podium, a result he had always achieved in the rounds prior to the Spanish one.
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“I am happy to go to Portimao because the sensations I had during the tests were really positive. Moreover the weekend in Barcelona was really bad for us. That’s why there is great determination and desire to get back to racing right away on a track I like. I am confident and I am sure that we can come back and fight for the podium”.
