A month has passed since SBK Assen Round, when on Race-2 Alvaro Bautista took an extraordinary victory that allowed him to close out the Dutch weekend with an 18-point lead over Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) in the WorldSBK championship standings.
The Spanish rider, alongside his team-mate Michael Rinaldi and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Team, is already at work at the “Circuito Estoril” located just a few meters from the ocean in the beautiful Portuguese seaside city.
The weekend will go underway tomorrow at 11.30 (CEST) with the first free practice of the Estoril Round; Race-1 is scheduled for Saturday at 15.00 (CEST) then the Superpole Race (12.00 CEST) and Race-2 (15.00 CEST) will close the week-end on Sunday
Nicolò Bulega will also be back in action after the long break on the Ducati Panigale V2 of the Aruba.it Racing WSSP team. After the first two rounds, the Italian rider is third in the Supersport World Championship standings with 56 points, 39 less than championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Yamaha).
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“We are all very charged up for this race. After the round in The Netherlands , where the feeling with the bike was really excellent, there is a great desire to get back on track and try to get that feeling back right away. The Estoril circuit is a bit of a special track: lots of very demanding braking areas, several of stop and go, a beautiful and long last corner. I’ve done some good results in the past even though I’ve never ridden on this circuit with the Ducati. As always we’ll try to get the most out of every race.”
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“We’ve worked a lot in the recent weeks and we think we have found the technical solution that could bring an important step forward already in Portugal. The start of the season was not as we would have liked but I am sure that the direction we have taken is the right one. So I can’t wait to get out on track and find out if the sensations I’ve had over the last test day in Mugello can be replied here in Portugal”.
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP #11)
“I have to be honest: I’m very excited to go racing on a circuit I don’t know. Obviously, this will happen several times, being my first year in the WorldSBK paddock. Our goal is to be as competitive as we were during the first two rounds”.
