2022 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Nine – Portimao, Portugal
WorldSBK Superpole
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) rocketed to another Portimao pole, this time setting a new pole lap record.
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 1’39.610s
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) +0.162s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.249s
WorldSBK Superpole Results
- REA Jonathan Kawasaki 1’39.610
- RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak Yamaha 1’39.772 0.162
- LOWES Alex Kawasaki 1’39.859 0.249
- BAUTISTA Alvaro Ducati 1’39.946 0.336
- LOCATELLI Andrea Yamaha 1’40.000 0.390
- BASSANI Axel Ducati 1’40.195 0.585
- BAZ Loris BMW 1’40.242 0.632
- REDDING Scott BMW 1’40.293 0.683
- RINALDI Michael Ruben Ducati 1’40.305 0.695
- LECUONA Iker Honda 1’40.342 0.732
- GERLOFF Garrett Yamaha 1’40.497 0.887
- ÖTTL Philipp Ducati 1’40.526 0.916
- VIERGE Xavi Honda 1’40.624 1.014
- TAMBURINI Roberto Yamaha 1’40.771 1.161
- MAHIAS Lucas Kawasaki 1’40.811 1.201
- GAGNE Jake Yamaha 1’41.161 1.551
- LAVERTY Eugene BMW 1’41.258 1.648
- NOZANE Kohta Yamaha 1’41.321 1.711
- BERNARDI Luca Ducati 1’41.406 1.796
- VAN DER MARK Michael BMW 1’41.473 1.863
- SYAHRIN Hafizh Honda 1’41.741 2.131
- HASLAM Leon Kawasaki 1’41.765 2.155
- MARVIN Fritz Yamaha 1’41.912 2.302
- MERCADO Leandro Honda 1’41.982 2.372
- PONSSON Christophe Yamaha 1’42.152 2.542
- KONIG Oliver Kawasaki 1’43.840 4.230
WorldSBK Race One
With the race shortened following a delay after a crash in WorldSSP300 and waiting for the medical helicopter to return to the circuit, the 26-strong field battled it out over 14 laps for Race 1 honours.
Reigning Champion Razgatlioglu took victory in the shortened battle after a fight with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in the first half of the race.
Razgatlioglu’s race winning move came at the start of Lap 6 at Turn 1 as he passed Rea, while he also had to fight Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) for second in the opening few laps.
Bautista had to fight from fourth on the grid, and lost time at the start of the race, but was able to move up to second place by the end of the race as he passed Lowes at Turn 1 on Lap 3 and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) on Lap 11 at the same corner. Bautista had to make the move twice as, when he made it on Lap 8, he ran wide at Turn 1 and cost himself time. Bautista’s crucial move for second place came at the end of Lap 11 and start of Lap 12, as he blasted past Rea on the pit straight for second place, with Rea claiming third spot in Race 1.
As seen so often in 2022, Bassani was in the podium fight throughout the first half of the race but dropped back as the race progressed, eventually finishing in fourth place. He had to continue fighting once dropping out of the podium places, fighting against Lowes with the pair separated by just 0.091s at the line.
Lowes had been running as high as second in the opening laps but, like Bassani, dropped back for fifth place. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) took sixth place, four seconds behind Lowes and four seconds ahead of Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in seventh.
Three riders were fighting hard for eighth place in the shortened race with the trio separated by less than half-a-second at the end of the 14-lap race. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) took home eighth place ahead Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) in ninth and American star Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) who rounded out the top ten. Baz was just 0.160s behind Vierge as they crossed the line, while Gerloff was a further 0.269s down on Vierge.
Gerloff had a more than three-second margin to Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) who took 11th place in his first WorldSBK race at Portimao, ahead of Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven).
Two-time American superbike champion Jake Gagne (Attack Performance Yamaha Racing) was 19th on his return to WorldSBK racing, finishing four tenths down on Redding.
WorldSBK Race One Results
- RAZGATLIOGLU Toprak Yamaha
- BAUTISTA Alvaro Ducati 0.657
- REA Jonathan Kawasaki 3.032
- BASSANI Axel Ducati 4.471
- LOWES Alex Kawasaki 4.562
- LOCATELLI Andrea Yamaha 8.805
- RINALDI Michael Ruben Ducati 12.614
- VIERGE Xavi Honda 17.290
- BAZ Loris BMW 17.450
- GERLOFF Garrett Yamaha 17.719
- LECUONA Iker Honda 21.391
- ÖTTL Philipp Ducati 21.628
- MAHIAS Lucas Kawasaki 22.972
- VAN DER MARK Michael BMW 25.808
- LAVERTY Eugene BMW 29.879
- TAMBURINI Roberto Yamaha 30.268
- BERNARDI Luca Ducati 30.919
- REDDING Scott BMW 33.785
- GAGNE Jake Yamaha 34.173
- NOZANE Kohta Yamaha 38.133
- MARVIN Fritz Yamaha 39.000
- PONSSON Christophe Yamaha 41.101
- MERCADO Leandro Honda 47.660
- KONIG Oliver Kawasaki 1’01.760
- HASLAM Leon Kawasaki 7 Laps
- SYAHRIN Hafizh 12 Laps
WorldSBK Rider Quotes
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu – P1
“I like this circuit and this weekend we start very strong – also thanks to my team because I am feeling the bike is perfect and we were able to ride well and finish at the front! Today we win, but we are not really happy because of the big crash in WorldSSP300 today, and now we are waiting for good news about Victor Steeman.”
1 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.657s
3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +3.032s
Alvaro Bautista – P2
“It was a good race even if there is a hint of regret because I knew I was really competitive in the second half. We missed those six laps, but it’s also true that the difficult start, the battle with Bassani and the mistake to overtake Rea made me lose metres on Razgatlioglu. However, the feeling remains extremely positive ahead of tomorrow’s races”.
Jonathan Rea – P3
“The Superpole lap was incredible. When the bike had grip I felt I got everything out of the lap. Aside from a little slide on the final corner it was perfect. It was nice to get that and when you are competing at the front that launch from pole position is everything. I got a good start that I was happy with.
“I went with the harder option rear tyre, of a stiffer construction, and that was always in the plan after a long run yesterday. I knew it would potentially be a bit more competitive than the SC0 tyre. When the race changed to 14 laps, not 21, it changed our strategy a little bit. We stuck to our guns and raced the harder option.
“In hindsight I just missed a little bit of grip, especially in the middle part of the race, when the first drop of the tyre came. I made a couple of small mistakes and Toprak broke the tow a little. Then Alvaro was coming, with a good pace. I couldn’t fight with him as he took so much time out of me in sector four and the beginning of sector one. I was riding on my limit just to keep the gap.”
Alex Lowes – P5
“I wanted to go under 1’40 in Superpole so to achieve that was really good. I think any time you are with Johnny, Toprak or Alvaro you are riding quite well. In the race I had a good start but on a full tank of fuel I was struggling to stop at the beginning. In the race itself I felt quite good and I had decent pace. Maybe on lap six, seven, eight, I thought I needed to relax a bit because the rear tyre was dropping. I came strong again at the end and had a good battle with Axel. Hopefully we can improve the braking a bit for Sunday so that I can fight a little bit more. Honestly, without this fight, I felt my pace was a little bit faster; quite strong. Because we went from the planned 21 laps to 14, I had already changed the front tyre choice. I went to the SC1 to give me a bit more grip. I think this was a good choice.”
Andrea Locatelli – P6
“In the end it’s not the best result that I want to get but it was a good race and the rhythm compared to yesterday was much better and my rhythm was fast – but we need to work for tomorrow and to prepare the bike to find something to be a little faster especially in the first part of the race, this is important to fight for a good position. In general, I am happy with how it is going because we are fast in every session – this is a good point for me and for my crew. Like everyone in the team, I am hoping for positive news about Victor Steeman.”
Michael Rinaldi – P7
“I’m pretty disappointed with this race. Unfortunately, we had a problem in FP3 that didn’t allow us to work. We also lost an important session to understand which was the best tyre for the race. The choice we made did not turn out to be the best one. It’s a shame because the feeling on Friday was very good. Tomorrow I definitely want to try again and stay at the front”.
Xavi Vierge – P8
“It has been a difficult day for us, but our attitude is to learn and find the positives in every situation. Here we tried something on the bike that for sure is a step in the direction we want to go, but at the same time we were lacking a little in what is one of usually our strongest points, confidence with the front, which is quite important. So, the positive is that even with some unexpected issues we could run a solid race, and that we now have all afternoon to analyze the data and work to find good front feeling for tomorrow’s races. Thanks to the whole squad for their hard work and I send my prayers and best wishes to Victor Steeman who was injured in the Supersport 300 race.”
WorldSBK Championship Points
- Bautista 414
- Ragatlioglu 360
- Rea 343
- Rinaldi 214
- Locatelli 183
- Bassani 183
- Lowes 172
- Lecuona 163
- Redding 147
- Vierge 107
- Gerloff 98
- Baz 95
WorldSSP Race One
British manufacturer Triumph claimed their first WorldSSP victory during the Pirelli Portuguese Round at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.
Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) claimed a hard-fought victory in a shortened 12-lap encounter in Portugal for his first win in the Championship, while Yamaha secured the 2022 Manufacturers’ Championship with a second-place finish.
Manzi was able to convert his best Tissot Superpole result of the season with fourth place, able to fight from the start of the race rather than fighting back for a podium finish as he had before in 2022.
Manzi went defensive on the last lap which allowed Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) to close the gap which created a drag race to the line, with Manzi taking the win by just 0.011s ahead of his compatriot.
The podium was locked out by Italian riders as Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) who took his first podium of the 2022 season and the 23rd in his career.
Reigning Champion Aegerter missed out on the podium by just 0.181s at the end of the 12-lap race as he took fourth place, finishing ahead of Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in fifth.
Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) had been fighting for the podium positions but a mistake on the last lap dropped him down to seventh place, a second behind De Rosa.
Oli Bayliss had to deal with some unusual vibration on his Panigale V2 that prevented him from pushing hard enough to get in the points.
Oli Bayliss – P20
“Well, day two in portimao didn’t go to plan, unfortunately in qualifying I didn’t feel comfortable at all on the second tyre we used and really struggled with the front. Unfortunately we had a technical issue from the rear which caused me to get chatter pretty much every turn every lap. Was a difficult day but I think tomorrow will be better”.
Ben Currie also missed out on the points while countryman Tom Edwards took a tumble at Turn 13 on Lap 10, putting him out of the race.
Tom Edwards – DNF
“We had some ups and downs during todays race, I made a really good start and a lot of overtakes in the first lap and put myself in a good position to fight for a good result. On lap two I had an incident in turn one which sent me very wide and towards the back of the pack. I was fighting my way back and pushing very hard when I came down with a few laps to go. I’m glad we showed some good pace and we have some improvements to make for tomorrows race. Let’s make it a good one.“
WorldSSP Race One Results
- Manzi – Triumph
- Baldassarri – Yamaha +0.011
- Caricasulo – Ducati +0.128
- Aegerter – Yamaha +0.309
- Tuuli – MV Agusta +1.732
- De Rosa – Ducati +2.638
- Cluzel – Yamaha +3.583
- Soomer – Triumph +6.491
- Oncu – Kawasaki +6.774
- Vinales – Ducati +6.815
- Sofuoglu – MV Agusta +6.844
- Van Straalen – Yamaha +7.090
- Montella – Kawasaki +8.881
- Sebestyen – Yamaha +12.193
- Bulega – Ducati +16.202
- Jespersen – Yamaha +17.641
- Gimbert – Yamaha +19.134
- Vostatek – Yamaha +19.216
- Fuligni – Ducati +20.675
- Bayliss – Ducati +20.685
- Verdoia – Yamaha +21.286
- Currie – Kawasaki +30.261
- Kofler – Ducati +30.703
- Buis – Kawasaki +34.914
- Diaz Corbella – Yamaha +39.167
- Hobelsberger – Yamaha +57.374
WorldSSP Championship Points
- Aegerter 349
- Baldassarri 320
- Oncu 178
- Bulega 171
- Manzi 158
- Caricasulo 113
- Van Straalen 106
- Montella 106
- Tuuli 103
- Huertas 94
- Cluzel 83
- Soomer 72
- De Rosa 67
- Sofuoglu 61
- Bayliss 48
WorldSSP300 Race One
bLU cRU graduate Alvaro Diaz was crowned the 2022 FIM Supersport 300 World Champion with a race remaining at the Portimao season finale, becoming the first Yamaha rider to claim the title since 2017, and the first from the bLU cRU program.
Heading into the weekend, Diaz needed just one point to claim the title and he gave himself a strong chance in the Superpole, qualifying second on the grid. The race was then red flagged after an incident involving title rival Victor Steeman, who was transported via helicopter to Faro Hospital with polytrauma and a head injury.
The race was then delayed and shortened to eight laps, with Diaz battling for victory throughout. In a frenetic final lap, the Spanish youngster eventually finished seventh, which was enough to see him crowned champion.
Alvaro Diaz – 2022 FIM Supersport 300 World Champion
“It was a difficult race but a very happy day for me. I want to thank my ARCO MotoR University Team for all their work this year that has helped me to become World Champion. This title is the result of five years of hard work and I’m just so happy.
“After the first race of the season, I was already starting to think that I could achieve the title. It was difficult because the championship is very long and anything can happen.
“In the last races, Victor was really fast and he is a very strong rival, I’m thinking of him and really wish him all the best in this moment. Next season, I think I’ll stay with Yamaha because they have given me a lot of support these past five years. I’m very happy with them and with my team. In 2023, I will ride in WorldSSP. For me it will be a new adventure and I think I can do well.”
Andrea Dosoli – Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“I would like to congratulate Alvaro Diaz for an incredible WorldSSP300 season. He was a part of our bLU cRU program in 2020, and since then we have seen him develop into one of the most promising young riders in the championship. Despite his young age, he has shown a clear maturity that has allowed him to be so consistently in the lead battle, with many podiums scored across this season. Congratulations also to the young mechanics and members of the Arco MotoR University Team, who have worked hard to help give Alvaro this opportunity. We are sure he will have a brilliant future in this sport. Everyone at Yamaha is also thinking of Victor Steeman following his crash earlier today, and we hope for some positive news.”
WorldSSP300 Race One Results
- Geiger – Kawasaki
- De Cancellis – Kawasaki +2.649
- Maier – Yamaha +2.669
- Iglesias – Kawasaki +2.670
- Gennai – Yamaha +2.673
- Vannucci – Yamaha +2.717
- Diaz – Yamaha +2.800
- Valentim – Yamaha +3.227
- Di Sora – Kawasaki +3.310
- Garcia – Yamaha +3.371
- Saiz Marquez – Kawasaki +3.430
- Millan – Kawasaki +4.371
- Mogeda – Kawasaki +4.419
- Nugroho – Yamaha +4.502
- Lehmann – KTM +4.933
- Seabright – Yamaha +5.019
- Gaggi – Yamaha +5.036
- Bergamini – Yamaha +9.449
- Borges – Kawasaki +10.007
- Markarian – Kawasaki +10.053
- Garcia Abella – Yamaha +10.191
- Alonso – Kawasaki +10.218
- Persisteras – Yamaha +10.530
- Zanca – Kawasaki +10.618
1. Dirk Geiger (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki)
2. Hugo De Cancellis (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) +2.649s
3. Humberto Maier (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) +2.669s
WorldSSP300 Championship Points
- Diaz 239
- Steeman 180
- Garcia 163
- De Cancellis 160
- Di Sora 139
- Okaya 129
- Gennai 115
- Lehmann 110
- Vannucci 107
- Iglesias 91
- Geiger 86
- Ieraci 76
- Maier 69
- Sabatucci 65
- Bijman 42
2022 WorldSBK Calendar
| Date | Track | Class |
| Oct 7-9 | Algarve | SBK/SSP/SSP300 |
| Oct 21-23 | Circuito San Juan Villicum | SBK/SSP |
| Nov 11-13 | Mandalika | SBK/SSP |
| Nov 18-20 | Phillip Island | SBK/SSP |
