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The 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has reached its final round of the year and after a frantic first day of action at Estoril, we’re going to be in for a brilliant weekend. However, sharing his thoughts on all of the breaking news on the run up to the round is MotoGP™ race winner Miguel Oliveira of the Red Bull KTM Tech 3 team; the Portuguese rider offers insight into tackling Estoril, the title fight between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) as well as giving his verdict on Ducati’s decision to remove Chaz Davies from the factory line-up in place of Michael Ruben Rinaldi.

Who has more pressure: Jonathan Rea or Scott Redding?

“From outside, I’d say that neither have a lot of pressure on them. Jonathan Rea has been leading the Championship for a while and he’s fought for the title many times before, so I think he’s in a very relaxed position – even if he is trying to go as fast as possible as always. You could see that last weekend that with the conditions, he was still able to lead apart from the last race, but he had a tremendous weekend. For Redding, there’s only one chance to win and then, he has to hope for bad results for Rea. At this point, anything can happen, but I don’t think any of them have pressure.”

“Davies part of the family… it’s also a business”

“Again, it’s hard to give a comment on this. Obviously, Michael is a guy who is young and who has been growing up as a rider. On the other hand, Chaz Davies is a very experienced rider, he has done a lot of races for Ducati and I think he is part of the family; I think for a factory to make this kind of decision, it’s always hard because there are a lot of feelings in the middle. However, at the end, it’s also a business and you need to try to put your hearts aside.”

Can the Honda be conquered at Estoril?

“It looks like the Honda is not such an easy bike to ride and they have a big period of adaptation, even if the bike and the project looks very promising. They are taking their time. For Bautista, to know the track is a plus but maybe only for one day. I think after an entire day of practice it will be closer, but I hope he can use this advantage to have another podium this season.”

What is the best way to learn a new track?

“I think that the first thing is to play videogames, which helps a lot. Then watch videos, especially onboards, as that helps a lot to have a good perspective. To be honest, Estoril is quite a simple track to learn; it’s not very long, it hasn’t got a lot of undulations which always helps but in general, videogames and videos help a lot.”

Wind and preparation…

“The weather is not so bad. Estoril has strong wind but never in a way where it is dangerous or that it gets in your way. I think they will do fine with. How do you prepare for the race with that? I think it depends on the rider, but I would just focus on enjoying this race, especially in a new place that is as beautiful as Portugal!”

The manufacturer at the front will be…

“It is hard to predict which bike will work best; I think it will be the guy who adapts quickest to the new track and the conditions. It’s not so clear at the moment, as when you go to a new track, it’s all theory; you need to do one day to understand who will be challenging for the top positions.”

Follow the first ever Estoril Round and enjoy the return to the Portuguese venue after 27 years with the WorldSBK VideoPass!