The eagerly awaited 12th and last round of the World Superbike and Supersport Championships roars into action at the Portimao Motor Park this weekend.
The on-track thrills and spills were preceded by a visit to Zoomarine yesterday (Thursday) which featured many of the sport’s top stars such as past and present Parkalgar heroes Eugene Laverty, heir apparent Sam Lowes, already crowned SBK champion Carlos Checa, Troy Corser and Max Biaggi.
When the focus of attention returns to the autodrome today (Friday) for the first open practice sessions, local support should very much centre around the Supersport category where the home Parkalgar Honda team still has an excellent chance of taking one of the top three spots in the final title standings come Sunday afternoon.
Principal challenger Sam Lowes, who currently lies in fifth place in the Championship, said before the race: “It is a real rider’s track with elevation changes, blind crests and fast sweeping corners. It is a brilliant place to visit whether spectator or racer and I want to end my season on a real positive note. I’m looking forward to racing in front of the home Portuguese crowd and hope I’ll be able to give them something to smile about.”
Lowes has ridden a brilliant debut Supersport season boosted by second place finishes in his last two races and has the talent and machine as well as the track knowledge to become a winner in the Algarve.
The climax of the 2011 season, which has spanned three continents, comes under starters orders at 1.30pm on Sunday – be there!
Meanwhile, the Parkalgar Portimão Racing Team in general had cause for early celebrations last weekend when Jose Monroy and Francisco Guedes took third and first place in their Ferrari in Estoril to secure the Portuguese GT4 Championship.
