Toprak back on top after two-day WorldSBK test in Portimao

WorldSBK 2025

Portimao Test – March

A two-day WorldSBK Test at Portimao got underway on Friday morning, but few riders took to the track in the morning due to the damp conditions. The track was busy in the afternoon. While Saturday morning brought dry, sunny conditions, intermittent rain affected the action from lunchtime, before clearing again for the final 30-minutes of the day.

The top two riders at the test are arguably, despite what the current championship standings say, the two top riders in the 2025 WorldSBK Championship, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega. At this hit-out, the Turk was half a second clear of the Italian. lapping under both the race and qualifying lap record at the Portuguese circuit.

Bulega’s progress was stunted by a fast turn 11 crash on day two, further cutting short the limited dry track time available to him. The Italian’s Spanish Aruba Ducati team-mate Alvaro Bautista chose to sit out day one, made only limited laps on day two, and ended the test eighth overall.

Bimota’s Alex Lowes improved to third fastest overall on Saturday thanks to a best lap of 1’40.359.

Alex Lowes

“I felt good on the bike. I think these two days are probably the best I have felt so far on the bimota, and this is normal because we are improving and learning all the time. It was just a little bit of a shame about the weather, because we are still testing items rather than focusing on track-specific settings. I wanted to do a long run and we had quite a few things on the schedule, but we can’t change the weather. The guys did a fantastic job and we are slowly improving. We concentrated on the front of the bike and had some geometry settings to try that we have not been able to explore during the winter. But we only managed to get about 35-40 laps in on the final day because of the weather. In general, it has been an enjoyable test.”

Pere Riba – Crew Chief for Alex Lowes

“Almost everybody was here at this two day test, which is a good thing because you can make comparisons with all your competitors, manufacturers and riders. Again it has been quite difficult with the weather. There was some rain each day. This means that over two days we did about six or seven hours in the dry. It was better than nothing and it ended up quite positive. Alex was enjoying it and I think at the end of the second day he finished third overall. We did not use soft tyres because in Portimao we cannot use an SCQ during the race weekend. We did our lap times with a race tyre, which is also positive. The best thing is that we had more time to test some items, which were planned after Australia and the winter tests. With this bike we still have a lot of things to do but we will do them step-by-step. Alex felt that we made a good improvement in a couple of areas, which is good, but of course this has to be confirmed in the race weekend. We have a starting point for the Portimao race weekend.”

Bimota team-mate Axel Bassani was the tenth fastest rider setting a 1m41.049 on his bimota KB998 Rimini on Saturday.

Axel Bassani

“It has been two strange days of testing because of the weather, and we had to do a lot of work in not a lot of hours. We tried to check all the items we wanted to try so it is has been quite intense. I finished the test not with a really good feeling so I am not sure how the Portimao race weekend will go. We need to work before then and I hope to be better during the weekend of the next race.”

Marcel Duinker – Crew Chief for Axel Bassani

“You can do a lot of good work in the winter tests but you have to face your competition in a race to really understand where you are. We came back from the opening round at Phillip Island with a lot of information and experience so this Portimao test was really important for us. Our track time was reduced a lot, maybe 75% or more because of the weather conditions, so we picked the biggest priorities of our test programme. This meant that we were not really focused on finding the best race set-up or fine tuning, because the conditions during race weekend can be completely different. We really concentrated on improving our bike. We mainly improved in the areas of suspension and we didn’t use a softer tyre to make a lap time. We really focused on how to extract the most potential from a race tyre. Even if we only had around four hours of efficient test time, we ticked the most important items off the list. We can be confident for Portimao.”

Remy Gardner completed a total of 57 laps, showing strong pace and finishing the day sixth fastest with a best time of 1’41.357. Gardner had a productive Saturday morning, completing 17 laps and consistently improving his lap time from day one. Just before the lunch break rain began to fall, forcing the riders to delay their afternoon runs. In the final hour of testing, conditions improved and Gardner upped his pace to end the test as top Yamaha and fifth overall.

Remy Gardner

“It was a positive test, and we managed to try some new things ahead of the race. Unfortunately, we missed some valuable track time due to the weather, but we were still able to complete a good number of laps and gather useful data. The lap time was strong, considering it came on a race tyre, and the overall pace was promising, which gives us confidence for the race weekend. That said, we know there’s still work to do, and we’ll make sure to be fully prepared for the second round of the season.”

The test marked the first outing for Yamaha Factory Racing’s MotoGP test rider, Augusto Fernandez, as he prepares to stand in for Jonathan Rea for the second round of the series as the Northern Irishman continues to recover from the foot injury that ruled him out of the races in Australia last month.  For Fernandez the test was about familiarising himself with the R1 WorldSBK and Pirelli tyres ahead of his WorldSBK debut late this month. The 2022 Moto2 World Champion got up to speed quickly and was feeling comfortable on the bike, completing 42 laps on day one. A crash towards the end of the opening day halted progress slightly, but unhurt, he was able to return to action on Saturday for a further 34 laps on track with a quickest time of 1’41.362.

Augusto Fernandez

“We didn’t have the best of luck with the weather, so we’ve not had a lot of track time but overall I can say I am happy with how everything went. For me the test was about getting to know the bike and the team and we made good progress, improving the lap time in the final hour. One of the biggest challenges is getting used to the Pirelli tyres, they’re very different to what I’m used to, but then of course the Superbike is also completely different to the MotoGP bike so there is a lot to learn. With the limited track time, we cannot say we are 100% ready for the race but we have the free practice sessions to further improve and hopefully we can be competitive as racing gets underway. I want to thank the whole team for their hard work, it has not been an easy two days but we have learned a lot and I am looking forward to coming back for the race.”

Andrea Locatelli was able to clock an impressive 60 laps on Friday afternoon as he got to work on a thorough test schedule as the team and Yamaha look for further improvements with the R1 WorldSBK. The Italian finished the opening day third on the timesheets with a quickest lap of 1’41.202. Conditions flipped for the second day on track with a dry start to proceedings on Saturday before the rain came in the middle of the day, preventing riders from getting back on track until the final hour of the test. Locatelli improved his time to 1’40.702 to complete the test seventh overall having turned a further 39 laps on the second day.

Andrea Locatelli

“It has not been the simplest of tests with the weather conditions limiting the time on track both days. It has been busy, we tried many different things and it has been hard work deciding which options to choose, but honestly I am pretty happy with the direction. We now have some days to analyse the data ahead of the race weekend so we can keep working in this direction in free practice as we look to improve further for the races. While we did not get a lot of laps, we had enough to understand the feeling, we did not push for a lap time as we focused on completing our test programme but in general I am happy with the test and looking forward to the race weekend.”

Remy Gardner’s Swiss team-mate Dominique Aegerter ended 15th quickest after 43 laps.

Dominique Aegerter

“It’s always nice to be back testing, especially at a track where we’ll be racing in just a few weeks. We tried some new things and gathered valuable data ahead of the second round of the season. Unfortunately, we lost some track time due to the rain, but we still managed to put in some good laps and get a decent amount of dry running. Now it’s time to focus on what we learned and work towards improving as much as possible for the race weekend. I’m confident we can make a step forward in the right direction.”

Danilo Petrucci found a great feeling with the bike, confirming the good performance of the tyres even after multiple runs. On the first day, he recorded his best time with tyres that had already completed 16 laps, demonstrating excellent consistency on race pace. The positive feelings continued on the second day with a long run at a sustained pace. Petrucci leaves Portimão satisfied with the work done with the team, both in terms of geometry and electronics, and feels confident ahead of the first European round.

Danilo Petrucci

“I’m really happy because, both yesterday and today, I found a great feeling with the bike. This morning, I had a lot of fun, making it do exactly what I wanted. Today, I also completed a long run with used tyres at a very fast pace. Due to the rain, we decided not to go out in the afternoon, but I’m really satisfied with the work done in the box. The bike has changed a lot, both in terms of geometry and electronics, and all the modifications have worked well. I’m feeling very confident for the race.”

Andrea Iannone

“The weather also affected this test, unfortunately, on the first day, we only rode in the afternoon, while today the rain came after the first laps, when I was finding a good pace and a good feeling. We always worked in race conditions, without looking for the fastest lap and also we only used one tyre compound, which made it difficult to compare with the other riders on the track. We collected interesting data, both in terms of set-up and electronics, now we have two weeks to work and get ready for the Round. I’m calm, I know what we need, and I think we can arrive in Portimao in a better condition compared to last year.”

Yari Montella continues his adaptation process with the Superbike, working on various aspects and achieving great lap times with used tyres. He finished the first day in the Top 10, ahead of experienced riders like Van der Mark and Andrea Iannone, a significant result for the rookie from Campania. On the second day, he completed a race simulation with good lap times, finishing the test with the eleventh fastest time. Rain prevented the testing of some new parts, but the overall outcome remains positive.

Yari Montella

“These tests were quite positive. We did a good job, finding a great feeling with the bike and building on what we started in Australia, regaining the same sensations. We managed to try a long run, confirming consistency and speed on race pace. One area we still need to work on is new tyre management: I’m still figuring out where I can maximise its potential. We had planned to try some things in the afternoon, but the rain stopped us. Now, we’ll analyse the data from others to understand where they’re pushing more with the new tyre and try to improve in that area as well.”

ker Lecuona is currently on the road to recovery following an incident during the opening WorldSBK round in Australia, where he sustained a fracture to the fourth metatarsal bone in his left foot. In the meantime, HRC’s Xavi Vierge was joined on track by Spanish rider Borja Gómez on Friday and British rider Tommy Bridewell on Saturday. Tetsuta Nagashima was also attending the test to support the factory team with its development work.

Xavi Vierge

“We really needed this two-day test because, after a positive pre-season, we faced some difficulties during the opening round in Australia. The goal here was to regain the positive feeling we had during pre-season testing. Friday morning and Saturday afternoon were wet or mixed, which meant we had to modify our plan since we didn’t get the track time we expected. Nevertheless, we were able to test some of the most important aspects of the electronics and complete many laps with different setups to see how we can exploit our strong points. We had to adjust the setup slightly, as temperatures were much lower here compared to Australia, but after a few runs, I started to feel better. We’ve made a good step in cooler conditions compared to last year, but it remains to be seen if we can achieve the same in the heat, where we struggle more: the braking and turning aren’t too bad, but as soon as we open the throttle, we feel we’re lacking drive and acceleration. Hopefully, by continuing to work on the electronics, we can improve in that area. The feeling on the race tyre was good, but when I tried a soft one on Saturday, I couldn’t improve, another area where we need to work. Now, we need to analyze all the data we collected here and prepare the best base setup possible for the race weekend. Thanks to Honda for their continued efforts in improving, and a big thank you to the team for their hard work. Now, we look ahead to the next races”.

Friday’s work for Tarran Mackenzie revolved around work on the suspension and electronics, before attention shifted to chassis setup work on Saturday. Completing 74 laps in all over the two days, the British rider and his technicians are pleased with the progress made, despite the weather interruptions.

Tarran Mackenzie

“Yesterday I felt a bit better in myself, riding wise, using the base setting from Phillip Island, and we already made a bit of progress by the end of the day, despite wet weather in the morning. Today we’ve not done so many laps; we had big plans as we began this morning, but a few changes took longer than expected and then, once we were ready to go out, it started raining! It came on to rain again after lunch, a little bit annoying because we had quite a lot we wanted to do this afternoon to be heading in the right direction for the race. It finally dried up so that we could use the final 50 minutes and that was good, we improved on our times and the feeling was a bit better with the changes we’d made; we just ran out of time at the end to be able to use a Q tyre. I feel good in myself anyway, which is the main thing, having not felt so good in Australia, so that’s positive and I think we’ve found a better direction for the races here in a couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile, tasked with getting to grips with another track he has never seen before, Malaysian rider Zaidi continued his apprenticeship, working hard to build confidence with the CBR1000RR-R, a bike he rode for the very first time in Australia. Able to put in a total of 78 laps, Zaidi’s first proper test session has been extremely useful, allowing the Malaysian to gain a better understanding of his machine, the Pirelli tyres and the team’s work method.

Zaqhwan Zaidi

“My first time here at Portimão and it’s not easy, another new challenge for me. But I’m quite happy with what we’ve done here, we’ve seen progress. I didn’t have the confidence with the bike at Phillip Island; everything was new and I hadn’t been able to test either. So now I’m understanding more, about the bike of course and also how to work with my crew chief. For sure we still need to improve some points but I believe I can be better. Like I said, everything is new for me, even the tyres, and it’s not just the Portimão track I’ve never seen, as almost all the circuits will be new – I’ve only been to Aragón and Jerez before. It’ll take time to get where we want to be, but I’ll keep working as hard as I can.”

The second WorldSBK championship round will take place at the same Portuguese track over the weekend of 28-30 March. Whether Iker Lecuona will be fit enough to rejoin team-mate Vierge for those races is still to be established.

For reference the Portimao WorldSBK race lap record is held by Toprak at 1m39.826 while the pole record belongs to Jonathan Rea at 1m39.610.

WorldSBK Portimao Test Times

1. Toprak Razgatlioglu – BMW 1m39.592
2. Nicolo Bulega – Ducati 1m40.017
3. Alex Lowes – Bimota 1m40.359
4. Michael van der Mark – BMW 1m40.436
5. Remy Gardner – Yamaha 1m40.544
6. Danilo Petrucci – Ducati 1m40.651
7. Andrea Locatelli – Yamaha 1m40.702
8. Alvaro Bautista – Ducati 1m40.717
9. Sam Lowes – Ducati 1m40.928
10. Axel Bassani – Bimota 1m41.049
11. Yari Montella – Ducati 1m41.143
12. Xavi Vierge – Honda 1m41.264
13. Augusto Fernandez – Yamaha 1m41.362
14. Andrea Iannone – Ducati 1m41.514
15. Dominique Aegerter – Yamaha 1m42.036
16. Tarran Mackenzie – Honda 1m42.623
17. Tetsuya Nagashima – Honda 1m42.644
18. Tommy Bridewell – Honda 1m43.389
19. Markus Reiterberger – BMW 1m43.453
20. Sylvain Guintoli – BMW 1m43.503
21. Zaqhwan Zaidi – Honda 1m45.816

WorldSBK Championship Points

2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Calendar