The eleventh WorldSBK round has now concluded at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal.
After rain conditioned the first two days of track action, conditions were dry and sunny for today’s Superpole Race and Race 2.
The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team has fielded two riders in Portugal, with Bradley Ray sharing the garage with wildcard Luca Bernardi. In Saturday’s Race 1 the Brit secured sixteenth place, while the Italian closed twentieth.
The Superpole Race got underway this morning, running over a distance of just ten laps. Bradley made up positions during the course of the sprint to place eighteenth, while Luca continued to adapt to the new bike, crossing the line twenty-third.
Race 2 ran in the afternoon. The English rider got away well and maintained a consistent pace, which allowed him to finish fourteenth and score two championship points. The Italian rider’s goal was to complete the race and gain experience, both of which he managed to do, crossing the line seventeenth.
The final Superbike World Championship round will take place on 18-20 October at the Jerez Circuit in Spain
Carusi Sandro - Team Principal
“We end the weekend with Bradley scoring two points and confirming the positive trend we’ve seen in recent races. Luca has also shown consistent progress and despite a difficult weekend, he has shown room for improvement. I’m confident ahead of next week’s season finale at Jerez.”
Bradley Ray - Rider
“This weekend didn’t get off to a simple start, especially with the weather and track conditions, but today we were able to move in the right direction and finish in a very positive way, scoring points for the championship. And now I can’t wait to go to Jerez. Thanks to the team for all their important and constructive work.”
Bernardi Luca - Rider
“We’ve finished a weekend that was made complicated by the weather and track conditions. It wasn’t easy to adapt to a brand new bike but luckily I was able to count on the support of the team. Today we completed both races and that allowed me to better understand the R1, particularly with a view to Jerez, where I’m sure our results will be a lot better. Thanks to the team – everyone’s been a great help.”
