Pirelli Portuguese Round Free Practice 1

Date
Fri 27th March 2026 (UTC)
Fri 27th March 2026 (Local)

Timestamp
2026-03-27T10:20:00

Time

10:20:00 UTC (10:20:00 Local)

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League
SBK

Season
2026

Round
2

Status
Match Finished

Location
Algarve International Circuit

Video Highlights

Event Statistics

Description

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship arrives at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for the second round of the 2026 campaign. The primary challenge for the field in this opening 45 minutes is re-adjusting to the physical "rollercoaster" layout of Portimão, which features aggressive elevation changes and blind crests that test both bike stability and rider endurance. The objective for the teams is to dial in a baseline setup that handles the heavy braking zones into Turn 1 and the high-speed downhill sweepers of the final sector.

Strategically, FP1 serves as a crucial data-gathering session for the new technical pairings on the grid. The goal for Bimota by Kawasaki is to see how the KB998 Rimini handles the technical undulations compared to its predecessor, while Miguel Oliveira enters his home round with the mission of optimizing the BMW M1000RR for the abrasive Portuguese asphalt. The tactical focus for the front-runners, particularly the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad, is to verify tire longevity with the latest Pirelli compounds. With temperatures expected to climb throughout the weekend, the ultimate goal for the morning session is to establish a top-ten pace early to ensure a smooth transition into the afternoon's qualifying preparation.

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Result List

Result Description

Sam Lowes set the pace in the opening practice session on Friday, March 27, 2026, leading a Ducati-dominated top two. Lowes’s objective was to find immediate speed on his ELF Marc VDS Panigale V4R, and he succeeded by clocking a 1'40.287. He managed to edge out the championship leader, Nicolò Bulega, by a razor-thin margin of just 0.004 seconds, signaling a tightly contested weekend ahead for the Borgo Panigale machines.

The session was not without its hurdles; Iker Lecuona suffered a mechanical problem at Turn 5 midway through the session, while Stefano Manzi experienced a small crash at Turn 13, though he was able to rejoin. Alex Lowes showcased the potential of the new Bimota effort by finishing third fastest, ahead of Lecuona and Yari Montella. American Garrett Gerloff made a strong start to the weekend in seventh, while local hero Miguel Oliveira finished 11th as he focused on a high-fuel race simulation. Despite the technical hiccups for some, the session concluded with the top 12 riders separated by less than a second, setting a high bar for the rest of the Portuguese Round.

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