FIM Superbike World Championship
Portimão
WorldSBK - Portugal
Kawasaki Dominates WorldSPB Debut as Portimao Delivers Strong Results Across WorldSBK Classes
Round 2 of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship in Portimão, Portugal marked a historic and competitive weekend for Kawasaki, highlighted by a commanding debut for the opening round of the new World Sportbike (WorldSPB) class. Kawasaki riders swept both race victories and secured a 1-2 finish in Race 1, followed by a Top 4 lockout in Race 2, immediately establishing the Ninja® ZX™-6R 636 as the benchmark in the category’s inaugural event. Across the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team and Kawasaki WorldSBK Team continued to show consistency and depth, with multiple Top 5 finishes, strong points-scoring performances, and continued progression in the championship standings.
WorldSBK Results
Antonio Torres
WorldSPB Class
“I'm really happy with this victory! It's my first win and also the first in the history of this new category, something incredible, especially because we started so far back and managed to recover so much to win. We're really happy to have finished the weekend in the best possible way, with a good third place in Race 2. We worked hard throughout the weekend, and the results prove it. We also leave this round as championship leaders, which is really important. My teammate is second, just one point behind, so it's a great result for the whole team.”
Loris Veneman
WorldSPB Class
“The second race went really well from the start, and I could ride my own race from Lap 3 on, I believe. I could keep my own pace, keep the tire well, and set really consistent lap times until the last few laps when they started overtaking me a bit, and then I had to try some more defensive lines. In that way, I could also ride fast enough to stay in front. On the last lap, I decided to block as much as I could. Only David [Salvador] overtook me at one time, but I was able to fight right back and come away with the victory. I am really happy, and I cannot wait to go to Assen.”
Alex Lowes
WorldSBK Class
“Yesterday I was sort of happy with fourth place, because I was a bit away from the podium. Today, to be so close, but not really have a proper attack for the podium, was a bit frustrating. After Australia, which is such a peculiar track, we may have felt like it was a bit closer and that we had made more of a step. This weekend we needed to make a good qualifying, have a good start and be on the limit every lap to be in a position to challenge for the podium, which the bike does allow you to do. The strong part of the bike is that it is easier to ride, so you can ride it hard for 20 laps and put it in good positions in the tighter parts of the track. But, to race the bike, we are still missing a bit of performance. We made a change on the front of the bike for the Sunday races so I had a bit more confidence in stopping the bike. I tried my best, and honestly, I enjoyed riding the KB998 Rimini. I think we did a good job but we can’t be really happy with fourth place, as we want to try to get a bit closer.”
Axel Bassani
WorldSBK Class
“It has been a hard weekend and not like it was in Australia at the first round. Things were a little bit difficult, but in the end we have been quite consistent, always inside the Top 10. In the Superpole Race, we recovered two positions and finished in eighth. In Race 2, the pace was quite good until six laps from the end, when I had a big drop from both tires, front and rear. It was very difficult for me to push in the same way, and I lost two positions, going from sixth to eighth. I was not really happy, but in the end, after checking everything, I have to be happy because I was in eighth in all the races. It would have been really easy to crash today, but we finished the races. So, we have to be positive and now try to focus on Assen.”
Garrett Gerloff
WorldSBK Class
“After yesterday, I would have expected the results on Sunday to have been a lot better. I just struggled today, more than I imagined. We gave it our best and did the best we could, but unfortunately, we did not have the Superpole Race we were hoping for. In Race 2, we were battling for a Top 10, and unfortunately, I had a crash in the last corner of the last lap, while fighting for ninth place. I am trying, the team is trying, and I feel really bad for them. I apologized to them for the crash, and I think we learned some things to help us have a better weekend in Assen in a couple of weeks.”
Jeremy Alcoba
WorldSSP Class
“I had some good battles and a lot of fun. I had a better feeling than Race 1, for sure, so I enjoyed riding my bike even more. It is true that I was struggling in the last sector, and I was losing out there as the tire did not drop for the other riders. It was difficult to fight and pass them. But in the first three sectors of the track, I was faster than them. I was feeling quite good but just losing all my time in the last sector. I was in a good group of riders but I missed being in the first position inside the group because on the last lap I made a mistake while fighting with the others. I am quite happy, but it is still not enough. We will keep fighting.”
Dominique Aegerter
WorldSSP Class
“The Sunday race is done and I am disappointed because we didn’t finish in the points. We had quite a few good laps when we were strong and I felt good, but after some laps the rear grip dropped a little bit, and I could not remain on my earlier pace. We need to see where we can improve and where we can be stronger. Now, we will see the data from this weekend and work with the team to see where we can improve.”
