Bautista calmly faced the first match-ball for becoming the two-time champion

The 11th and penultimate round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve aims to be decisive for deciding the world title. The Talaverano Alvaro Bautista He will serve his first match-ball to reclaim his crown. To decide it in Portimao, it does not depend 100% on him and he needs 15 points more than his immediate pursuer, the Turkish Toprak Razgatlioglu who has better momentum since Imola and from 98 points to 47 only. The complete WorldSBK round distributes 62 points.

Even if ‘Bati’ achieves the triplet of victories in Portimao, he will still rely on the result of Toprak to close the title before the final round, in Jerez. If the Yamaha Turk is second behind him it will interfere with the match-ball, but in the Andalusian cathedral it depends on himself. A year ago the Turk took Race 1 and Superpole and the Spaniard took Race 2.

Portimao schedules

Spanish peninsular period

Friday, September 29
10:45 WorldSSP300 Free Training 1
11:30 WorldSBK Free Practice 1
12:25 WorldSSP Free Training 1
15:15 WorldSSP300 Free Training 2
16:00 WorldSBK Free Practice 2
17:00 WorldSSP Free Practice 2
Saturday, September 30
10:00 WorldSBK Free Practice 3
10:45 WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole
11:25 WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
12:10 WorldSBK Tissot Superpole
13:40 WorldSSP300 Race 1 (13 laps)
15:00 WorldSBK Race 1 (20 laps)
16:15 WorldSSP Race 1 (17 laps)
Sunday, October 1
12:00 WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race (10 laps)
13:30 WorldSSP Race 2 (17 laps)
15:00 WorldSBK Race 2 (20 laps)
16:15 WorldSSP300 Race 2 (13 laps)
RTVE and DAZN

“We came from a weekend in Aragon where I learned a lot, managing to collect important results after a mistake on Saturday. Portimao is a circuit that I really like and where the sensations on my Ducati Panigale V4R are always very good, although on this circuit it is not easy to find a set-up that adapts to the different sectors,” explained Greetings to the Media Day.

Regarding the title, he stated that “It does not depend 100% on me, so I don’t think about that. I just want to focus on myself and try to get the most out of all the conditions. It will be a difficult that weekend because it will be hot. It is better to think about what is important, about the weekend and managing the three days, than about other things. This is the best way to enjoy the moment and not feel more pressure. t really like combinations or statistics or records, I only think about the present. I know that if I do my best it will be a good round. In the end, crashes or technical problems are part of the game. You prefer not to have them , but it’s a possibility for all drivers in all races. I hope I don’t make a mistake like Saturday in Aragon,” added the Ducati rider, who has his MotoGP wildcard pending for Sepang from November 10 to 12.

Razgatlioglu “Bautista might make a mistake and the championship will change again,” defended the Yamaha rider, champion in 2021. “I have very good memories here, especially last year when I fought Álvaro in the Superpole Race. I hope to fight with him because it is one of the my favorite circuits. I’m strong here, but so is Jonny. Álvaro, at every circuit we go to, is very strong and we’re always fighting. I hope to start well tomorrow. I’m just trying to do my best.”

“I’m taking a lot of risks, it seems like I’m second now but, if I win all the races and he’s second, he’ll be champion again. I always need more. I only think about winning races. Maybe I’ll make a mistake and the championship will be different again. I’m just focusing on my thing. A triplet won’t be easy because Álvaro is very strong, Jonny too and my partner is getting stronger. This weekend I’ll try to jump, especially which is at the end of FP1. Let’s see how many meters I can jump!”, emphasized Toprak who is completing his last weeks as a Yamaha rider before becoming a new BMW rider.

Also Johnny Rea He is about to end his brilliant period with the Kawasaki Racing Team where he achieved six consecutive world titles to succeed Toprak at Yamaha. “When I was in Álvaro’s position, you start to think about the gap shrinking and how many races are left. With each passing race, the gap can get smaller and smaller, but you see how quickly the a lead with a good or bad weekend,” he said in Portimao

“At the beginning of the season Álvaro had everything in his favor, but in the last races he struggled. It seems now that everything is against him, with atypical mistakes, and Toprak is driving well, but we have to win races. The point difference between winning and finishing second at this point means a lot. He’s the only one who can beat it. We have to look at our competition to see our strengths and weaknesses and exploit they are on different circuits. Here are probably our weaknesses. not punished too much, we came out in fourth , with a lot of inertia and we hope to make a difference on the rest of the track.”