The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026 marches towards its crescendo. It’s been a record-breaking year so far and there’s a chance more records could fall as the paddock heads to Portugal for the second time this year; this time, it’s the Circuito Estoril hosting all the action as WorldSBK promises more incredible drama and epic battles at the Tissot Estoril Round.
BULEGA’S FAREWELL TOUR
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) heads to Estoril as the 2026 World Champion as he starts his final two rounds in WorldSBK before moving to MotoGP. There’s still a season record in his grasp – wins in a single season – with ‘Bulegas’ aiming to match and beat Alvaro Bautista's (Barni Spark Racing Team) 27 this weekend; the Italian is on 26. Out to stop him will be teammate Iker Lecuona after he took his maiden hat-trick last time out. And speaking of Bautista, the #19 is currently without a seat for 2027, but he and Bulega are the only riders on the grid to have won at Estoril, so maybe the Portuguese venue (and Jerez a week later) can be a strong way to end the year for the two-time WorldSBK Champion as he looks to secure his future.
OLIVEIRA’S HOME ROUND
We all remember the incredible scenes from Portimao with thousands and thousands of people chanting for Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) on the grid. The #88 gets to experience that all over again at Estoril, just 30 minutes from his hometown of Almada, and it’s a track BMW have gone well at in recent years with Toprak Razgatlioglu. Oliveira had a stronger Cremona than the rounds preceding it, running as high as P5 in Race 2 before a crash, and will be hoping he can convert that into podium pace on home soil. On the other side of the box, Danilo Petrucci's long goodbye continues after he announced he’s not looking for other options in World Superbike. He’s raced at Estoril once in WorldSBK, in 2024, claiming a best of P5.
THE FIGHT FOR THIRD
Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) almost has the bronze medal in his pocket, heading to Portugal with a 43-point advantage over Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and 50 over Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). To win it at Estoril, Montella will need to leave at least 62 points clear of the Lowes twins. Last year on the Bimota, Alex Lowes claimed a best of P4 in Race 2, while Sam Lowes' best is a P13 from 2024; he didn’t race at Estoril last year due to injury.
INSIDE THE TOP TEN
Behind that battle, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) will hope to tighten his grip on sixth in the standings, with ‘Balda’ leading Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) by just nine points. Baldassarri hasn’t raced at Estoril in WorldSBK although he was on the rostrum twice in WorldSSP, while Bassani only has three top-eight finishes at the Portuguese venue in 12 races; two came last year on the Bimota. Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) currently sits eighth, 39 points behind ‘El Bocia’, but he’s got a hard-charging Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) all over him. The #67 is five points behind the Texan but heads to Estoril on the back of his maiden World Superbike podium at Cremona, and Estoril is a track he knows well from the Moto2 European Championship; last season, he finished third here from 11th on the grid. For Gerloff, a podium this year remains elusive, but he’s already stood on the rostrum twice at Estoril, both in 2020 with GRT Yamaha, so can he end his podium drought in Portugal? Bautista currently rounds out the top ten, 15 points behind Surra, so is still in with a chance of snatching eighth place.
LOOKING FOR A RETURN TO THE TOP POSITIONS
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) grabbed what he could from Cremona with three top ten finishes, but it’s been a tricky season for ‘Loka’ and Yamaha in general. Estoril is a circuit where, aside from his first two races there, the #55 has been pretty much always in the top five, so can he get closer to those positions this year? Teammate Xavi Vierge is embarking on his final two rounds in blue as he prepares for a switch to Barni Ducati alongside Montella and the #97 will want to go out on a high. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) had his, and Honda’s, best weekend of 2026 last time out at Cremona. The #96 claimed his first top six finish in WorldSBK in Race 2 at Cremona and Estoril is a track where Honda secured a podium at, in the hands of Lecuona back in 2024. There’s lots of competition at the front but perhaps Dixon can once again be in the top six. Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates) had a tricky Cremona and will look to return to the top ten at Estoril, while Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) will look to add to their points tally. Twan Smits (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) will go for his first points of the year, while teammate Mattia Rato will look to score more points as well.
MEDICAL CHECKS
Two riders will face medical checks at Estoril. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) was replaced by Loris Baz at Cremona as ‘Taz’ continues to recover from the injuries he sustained at Donington Park. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was declared unfit at Cremona with a fractured fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand following a crash on Friday. If he is to race at Estoril, he’ll need to pass a pre-round medical check on Thursday.
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