The Portimao round extended the summer of the Superbike circus but, at the same time, brought out the fire in some of our Nolan Group riders. Pair this with the optimal weather and track conditions, meant for a positive weekend!
A podium for Chaz Davies, good performances for Melandri and Rinaldi, in Superbike, along wirh an incredible victory for Federico Caricasulo, fighting for the World Supersport Championship just a few points away from his teammate.
The next up is in France, in the far more autumnal Magny Cours, on the last weekend of September.
Will you make the visit? The journey is not too long.
SUPERBIKE:
Chaz Davies Race1 SECOND
"I’m really happy with second place in today’s race, especially after my poor Superpole qualifying performance and twelfth place on the grid. Portimão is a strange track, different from Laguna Seca, and it’s very tricky to pass around here, so for this reason I’m happy to have got onto the podium again. I made a really good first lap, made the passes stick and went forward from there. The start wasn’t that good but I did go very deep into turn 1 and I think I caused Alvaro to stand the bike up a bit so I apologize for that. It wasn’t my intention to cause him any problems but it just happened, I saw the gap and was committed in the turn."
Chaz Davies Superpole Race TENTH / Race 2 SIXTEENTH
"After yesterday’s good result, we made a set-up change to try and improve even more, but it didn’t work the way we expected. Obviously starting from P14 also means it’s pretty hard work from there and for me the race was tough. The initial pace was not so bad even though I struggled in the early laps a little bit, then just when I thought I could make an impact on the race I started encountering some problems with the gear shifter and it wouldn’t let me ride in the right way. The podium here in Portimão was good, but I’m disappointed with the way things turned out today. Overall the weekend has given me optimism going forward and it just proves we’ve got a pretty good competitive window now, even on tracks that are usually unfavourable for us."
Marco Melandri Race1 NINTH
"The feeling was better in qualifying this morning compared to yesterday but, if I'm honest, I expected a little bit more in the race. But, unfortunately, I was struggling for rear grip from the start and this brought back the problems we've been experiencing for some time now, in that it was difficult for me to get the bike stopped and to get it to turn. It was not easy; I just tried my best in the race, managed to finish top ten, and now we will try again to improve things for the two races tomorrow."
Marco Melandri Superpole Race THIRTEENTH/Race2 EIGHTH
"It's been a difficult round, but a positive is that for Race 2 we found the best set-up that we've had here this weekend in Portimão. Even so, it was still a tough race. My problem is clear, but finding a solution has so far proved tricky, despite the hard work of Yamaha and my team. I need a better start, because this is always better, but I also need to be more consistent in the race. It was really hard for me to use the same line every lap and I was working the tyre really hard. When the front grip dropped down then I was struggling a lot today. In the end I think everyone was struggling for rear grip, but we know we still have some work to do ahead of the next race in Magny-Cours."
Michael Ruben Rinaldi Race1 TENTH
"It was a strange race because after three laps I was no longer able to keep the pace I thought I could do. I suffered from a lack of grip at the rear and that's why I tried to handle the tire. This result leaves me a little bitter in my mouth because during the tests my pace was faster and if I am able to find the same sensations, I am sure I can take a big step forward."
SUPERSPORT:
Federico Caricasulo FIRST
"I expected this kind of race and knew I’d have to deal with my team-mate and Mahias. Unfortunately, the red flag brought the race to a premature conclusion and I’m sorry because I could have won without that interruption but that’s the way it went. Now we look ahead to what will be three tough rounds, but I head into them calmly and safe in the knowledge that I can fight for the positions that count. I want to thank the team as they’ve done a fantastic job once again here."
