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The FIM Sportbike World Championship is about to kick off. Months of hype as manufacturers confirmed their entries and 33 permanent riders were announced have all led to this: the Pirelli Portuguese Round, the first ever round of WorldSPB. In fact, this weekend at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve will feature 34 riders as a wildcard joins the action with a seventh manufacturer, an incredible way to kick off a brand-new Championship.

EARLY FAVOURITES? Quick in Monday’s test, strong WorldSSP300 form…

An Official Test took place on Monday and it was Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) who led the way, perhaps securing the Moto3 race winner the early favourite tag, but there wasn’t a lot to separate Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) in P2. 0.067s was the gap between first and second and they did have a bit of margin ahead of Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) in third, but it was oh so close at the end of Monday’s action. Fleerackers is preparing for his World Championship debut, but he finished second in last season’s British Sportbike championship. Veneman was on the podium at Portimao in WorldSSP300 last year, when he finished second in Race 2.

WILDCARD IMPRESSES EARLY ON: Is Poncet in podium contention?

Wildcard Diego Poncet (Rac41-Honda) put three manufacturers in the top four during the test and he’ll be looking to keep that form going as the sole Honda CBR600R rider during the weekend. He finished ahead of David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) as he looks to fight for the title again, and it’s worth noting just 0.010s separated Veneman and Salvador. Six-time WorldSSP300 race winner Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) was the fastest Aprilia rider at the test as he claimed P6, and will hope he starts 2026 as he ended 2025 in World Supersport 300: only outside the top six twice in eight races.

A GRID FULL OF CHAMPIONS: A high level as WorldSPB kicks off

2025 British Sportbike champion Kas Beekmans (VLR Racing Team Suzuki) is on the grid with Suzuki and started his WorldSPB career with P7 in the test. Two more Kawasaki riders followed with Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team), son of former WorldSBK rider Sergio Fuertes, and Juan Risueno (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) before two-time WorldSSP300 Champion Jeffrey Buis (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) rounded out the top ten. Will the Dutchman repeat his success from World Supersport 300 in WorldSPB?

MORE TO COME: Fernandez, Thompson aiming higher after the Official Test

Benat Fernandez (Kove Racing Team 109) heads into 2026 as the final Champion of WorldSSP300 and will look to replicate that success, although the #7 finished down the order in 21^st at the test. Of course, it’s hard to know what each rider’s plans were, so expect Fernandez to be higher up when racing gets underway. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) was third in WorldSSP300 last season and will aim to replicate that success but, like Fernandez, was down the order during the test. Elsewhere, Triumph are represented on the grid and their fastest rider at the test was Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph); he was sixth in last year’s British championship. His teammate in 2026, Fenton Seabright, was third in the domestic championship and 17^th in the test; it’s worth noting the Chelmsford-born rider has 48 WorldSSP300 races under his belt. Mirko Gennai (Panattoni BGR Smrz Racing) is somewhat of a Portimao specialist. He won five consecutive races there in WorldSSP300 between Race 2 in 2022 and Race 2 in 2024, although he didn’t finish either of last year’s races. He finished the WorldSPB test in last, with just 33 laps completed, so will be looking for a quick change in fortunes at the weekend.

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