The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is heating up as the season nears its conclusion. The Pirelli Portuguese Round at Portimao has already shown signs of being a spectacular event. On the first day, Alvaro Bautista of Aruba.it Racing – Ducati took the top spot, setting a strong pace that left many trailing.
Factory Ducatis had a commendable performance with both Bautista and his teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, showing their prowess. Bautista led for most of the FP1 session and continued his dominance in the afternoon, setting a time of 1’40.476. Rinaldi, on the other hand, secured the third spot by the end of the day.
Jonathan Rea of Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK, a 13-time winner at Portimao, managed to secure the fourth position. His teammate, Alex Lowes, who had missed the Aragon round, finished the day in 14th place.
Garrett Gerloff of Bonovo Action BMW was the star of the day. After topping the FP1 session, he finished the day in second place on the combined times. His performance has undoubtedly put BMW in the spotlight, with Michael van der Mark of ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team finishing in sixth.
However, the day wasn’t as fruitful for Toprak Razgatlioglu of Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK. Despite his past successes at Portimao, he finished in the eighth position. His teammate, Andrea Locatelli, was just ahead in seventh.
Team HRC had a challenging day with Iker Lecuona finishing in 11th and Xavi Vierge in 17th. The day was filled with intense moments, including an incident between Lorenzo Baldassarri of GMT94 Yamaha and Gerloff.
The top six after WorldSBK’s Friday at Portimao are:
- Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’40.476s
- Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) +0.287s
- Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.351s
- Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.542s
- Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.546s
- Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.771s