Superstock 1000 reigning champion and World Superbike rookie Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike) was over the moon last Sunday after finishing as best EVO rider in Race 2. The Frenchman, who was edged by Salom in the first encounter by only a fraction of a second, rode bravely on the wet surface of the Portuguese track in the second encounter, crossing the line with a comfortable gap over the second best placed EVO rider. Next weekend Barrier will face for the first time the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and its “infamous” corkscrew, during the ninth round of the season.

“To be honest this was the first time of the year that I’ve ridden on wet conditions” Barrier told WorldSBK.com “but the bike was fantastic, Leon (Camier) did a very good job with that. I’m really pleased with the result, everything was perfect. I haven’t thought about Laguna yet, it’s a new track for me but I will have time to learn it on the plane and when I’m there. I guess I will be using the Playstation a lot (laughs).”