Three new podiums for Rea in WSBK

Once again Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea dominated proceedings at the final European round of the Superbike World Championship in Portugal. After winning the Superpole - his fifth of the season and the 40th of his WSBK career - and at the same time breaking the Portimao lap record, the six-time world champion took third place in Race 1. Starting on hard tyres, Rea once again lacked grip compared to qualifying, which stopped him from getting the best out of his Kawasaki. The next day, the Brit took two more third places. “I was really on the limit today," admitted Rea. “In race 2, when I was in the lead, I tried to manage my tyres and not take too many risks. But when Alvaro passed me, it was impossible to stay with him. Toprak tried to slow him down and that allowed me to stay in the fight, but as soon as he had some space, he was gone. And even with Toprak, I ended up losing grip when my tyres went off. I have no regrets, I did my best but I was beaten by better than me on the day. It's frustrating, but it's a reality you have to accept."

Third on the grid, Alex Lowes had three podium finishes, which allowed him to regain one place in the overall standings. “I'm happy," said the Kawasaki rider. “In the Sprint race I was pulling back on Jonathan and I felt a little bit stronger than him. In Race 2, I struggled with the full fuel tank, I blocked the front several times and I lost time on the first laps. In the second part of the race I had the same pace as Jonathan but I was too far behind. I still attacked until the end, I even came up on Rinaldi. I couldn't do more.”