Bridewell launches the Superbike Advocates Racing project at the Portimao test: "The feeling is absolutely fantastic"
Tommy Bridewell and his team’s new racing project laid down their first WorldSBK laps at the Portimao Test
Despite difficult weather playing a role in limiting track action on Day 2, Tommy Bridewell and the new Superbikes Advocates Racing outfit collected important data with their bike at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve and unveiled their new livery as they get set to launch their 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign at the Pirelli Portuguese Round.
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE? “We’re in a really, really great position with our project”
The Superbikes Advocates team was a late addition to the entry list and now looks to make thier WorldSBK debut in Round 2 of the season, starting on Friday, March 27th. In previous seasons, the team competed in the Australian Superbike Championship, but now they are moving up to the World Championship stage. Atop their Ducati V4R, Bridewell showed off his team’s new livery on a sunny Day 1 and was one of the only riders to lay down laps on a wet Day 2. He closed the test with a best time of 1’42.665, landing P12, and from what it sounds like, the Brit is more than pleased with the initial feeling with his bike.
Reflecting on his test day feeling, Bridewell said: “The feeling on the bike is absolutely fantastic, even considering that the conditions have been challenging to say the least. We were working on a lot of electronic stuff; they are practically brand-new bikes. There are some calibrations and a lot of electronics work to be done. For me, we’re in a really, really great position with our project. The team and the whole infrastructure have really come alive. I think we’re a lot further along than we had maybe initially anticipated, so it feels great to be a part of that.”
STEP BY STEP: “We need to maintain our focus on building progressively every week”
While their team features a veteran rider and experienced figures like former TT winner Alan Jackson and Technical Director Mick Shanley, who has prior experience with MotoGP and WorldSBK, the team is making quite the jump up from the Australian Superbikes to WorldSBK. Undeterred, the team is dropping into the paddock with a knife between their teeth. To Bridewell and the rest of the team, results come second; first and foremost, the team want to establish a positive trajectory across this season.
On his outlook for this campaign, Bridewell said: “I think the objective for this upcoming 2026 season for me is to enjoy it and build throughout the course of the year. I feel that we are capable of having a great season. I feel we’re capable of doing a great job. We need to be realistic at the same time, though; we just need to maintain our focus on building progressively every week.”
Catch Bridewell in his team’s debut weekend at Portimao Live and OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass!
