FORM GUIDE: Key numbers and facts ahead of WorldSBK’s visit to the Portimao rollercoaster
Ducati are closing in on a milestone while Bulega aims to extend his winning streak at Portimao
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads to the stunning Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 2 of the 2026 season, and it’s always a circuit that throws up dramatic moments. Before track action for the Pirelli Portuguese Round gets underway, check out the stats, facts and milestones that could occur at Portimao…
150 – The next Ducati 1-2 will be their 150th: they would be the first manufacturer to reach this goal.
60 – 60 races have been run on Portuguese soil so far. The first ones came in 1988, at the Estoril track, and were won by Davide Tardozzi and Stephane Mertens, both on a Bimota.
33-23 – At the age of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) at Portimao (26 years 5 months 12 days on Saturday), only one rider has won more than him (23 wins) in WorldSBK history: Toprak Razgatlioglu (33 wins).
31/7 – A front row start has a great importance at Portimao as 31 wins out of 41 came from there. The last 7 races run here (since Race 2/2023) have been won from pole position.
26 – 26 riders climbed on the podium in 41 races run here.
25 – Jonathan Rea (Honda HRC) is the record holder for podium finishes here: no fewer than 25 out of 38 races contested. His next competitor is Toprak Razgatlioglu at 16. Those 25 podiums are the second all-time value for any given track, behind the 26 Rea scored at Aragon.
15 – Great Britain is the most successful country at Portimao, with 15 wins compared to 9 by Turkey (all by Razgatlioglu) and 6 for Spain.
13 – Rea has won 13 times here, the second-best value for himself and for any given rider on any track in WorldSBK history after his 17 wins at Assen. Razgatlioglu follows at 9 wins. Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) won 5 times here.
12 – So far, there have been 12 different winners at Portimao. The last two added to this list are Michael van der Mark and Toprak Razgatlioglu in 2021.
12 – The last 12 races run here (since 2022) had only two winners: Razgatlioglu (8 times), and Bautista (4).
10 – A hat-trick for Bulega would put him on 10 consecutive wins. Only Rea, Razgatlioglu and Bautista have achieved this previously. Razgatlioglu holds the outright record with 13, achieved twice; once in 2024 and once in 2025.
8/9 – The longest winning streak for a manufacturer here is 8 by Kawasaki, all by Rea from 2015’s Race 1 to 2019’s Tissot Superpole Race. Rea adds to those a win for Honda in Race 2, 2014, making the longest streak for a rider here at 9 races long. That is an all-time record streak for WorldSBK, level with Tom Sykes at Donington Park from 2013 Race 1 to 2017 Race 1. Currently, BMW are on a 6-race winning streak here.
6/7 - Seven different manufacturers have been able to record at least a podium placement at Portimao: (Ducati, Honda, Aprilia, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW). Six of them are winners: Kawasaki, Ducati, Aprilia, Yamaha, BMW, Honda.
6 – Rea is the record holder also for poles here, 6, followed by Tom Sykes and Razgatlioglu at 3.
2 – Yamaha are the only manufacturer to have recorded pole in consecutive years with two different riders in Algarve: in 2009 with Ben Spies and in 2010 with Cal Crutchlow, making it with two different nationalities too.
1.793 – In the last 7 races run, no one was able to close within 1.793 seconds from Bulega: that as the margin for victory in Jerez/2 last year. This year the minimum advantage at the finish for Bulega was 2.752s in the Superpole Race of the opening round.
1-2-3 – For the first time in history, 3 Italian riders (Bulega, Bassani, Montella) occupy the first 3 Championship spots heading into a race weekend. Italy was 1-2-3 after Race 1 in Phillip Island, 2024, but after Race 2 they were just 2nd and 3rd with Bulega and Locatelli: Alex Lowes had taken the top spot.
Follow all the action from WorldSBK’s visit to the rollercoaster using the comprehensive WorldSBK VideoPass!