Gerloff gets his Portimao weekend underway

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) took part in two Free Practice sessions at the Portimao circuit in Portugal as the second round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship got underway under sunny skies on Friday 27 March.

FP1 was particularly rewarding for Garrett and his Ninja ZX-10RR machine as he finished up seventh overall. This was a particularly encouraging early result as, unlike many of his peers, he had not taken part in a recent dry weather Portimao test session.

After finding some challenges to deal with in the afternoon session, Garrett would end up 12th in the combined FP1 and FP2 rankings, but just over one second from the fastest rider of all, and only half a second from the rider in fourth place.

Knowing where to concentrate their combined efforts for the second day of action, on Saturday 28 March, Garrett and his crew will now take on Free Practice Three, Tissot-Superpole Qualifying, and a 20-lap opening race. On Sunday 29 March the ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race, and then a final 20-lap Race Two will complete the on-track action at the second round of the season.

Garrett Gerloff: “I am pretty happy with how FP1 went, considering that we were not able to come here for the test that a lot of other people were at. So I think we started really well and I was happy with that. I was a little bit more disappointed this afternoon, in FP2, as we struggled with a few things, so I had to keep coming into the pit box, and making changes. Overall, my sector times are still decent, so we just didn’t put it all together. Tomorrow we will make a couple of small changes and try to get some clean laps in and be a bit more consistent. I think it could be a good day.”

A positive first day for Alcoba and Aegerter at Portimao

The second round of the Supersport World Championship got underway today at the Autodromo Internacional di Algarve in Portimao, Portugal, with the riders taking to the track for free practice and Superpole.

Having completed testing at the Cremona Circuit, the two Kawasaki WorldSSP riders, Spaniard Jeremy Alcoba and Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter, were back aboard their Ninja ZX-6R 636 machines for free practice, a session in which they worked to adapt the setup of their bike to the winding Portuguese track. Alcoba placed eleventh (1’44”755) and Aegerter twenty-fourth (1’45”713).

Superpole ran in the afternoon, establishing the grid positions for race 1. Both riders improved on their lap times, the Spaniard putting in a best of 1’44”378 to qualify thirteenth, and the Swiss rider concluding sixteenth with a time of 1’44”690.

Alcoba will start from the fifth row and Aegerter from the sixth for tomorrow’s Race 1, which will run in the early afternoon over a distance of 17 laps.

Jeremy Alcoba: “A challenging day for sure. We had different plans for the day but then had some difficulties we had to overcome. A banal electronics problem prevented us from exploiting FP1 and in Superpole, the red flag came out just as we’d put in the fresh tyre. We returned to the track for the final minutes and were still able to improve. Our starting position penalises us though and doesn’t represent our real potential, but I’ll do my best to make up as much ground as possible in the race, with the aim of fighting for the podium.”

Dominique Aegerter: “We constantly improved today and this bodes well for the races. My starting position isn’t what we wanted but in tomorrow’s warm-up we’ll try some new solutions that will hopefully allow us to be more competitive. I’ll work hard to close the gap with respect to the riders in front and to score a good result.”

Gerloff finishes P7 after an epic midfield battle in Race One

Garrett Gerloff had contrasting fortunes in Superpole Qualifying and then Race One at the Portimao circuit on Saturday 28 March 2026, ending up with a seventh-place finish after 20 intense laps.

Gerloff beat his best previous qualifying time at Portimao by some distance on his Ninja ZX-10RR machine on Saturday morning, and was initially disappointed to find he was starting the opening race from 13th position.

Showing real determination and great pace from the start, Gerloff moved forward quickly and spent most of the exciting race in a highly combative and evolving fight for sixth place with Xavi Vierge and Axel Bassani.

Sixth place looked to be within Garrett’s grasp but he was finally passed by Vierge before the chequered flag, holding off Bassani to claim seventh position.

On Sunday 29 March, a ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race, and another 20-lap WorldSBK race will complete the action at Portimao.

Garrett Gerloff: “I wasn’t too sure how the opening race was going to go. My Superpole time was the best qualifying lap that I have ever done here, by something like sixth tenths of a second. So, I knew I wasn’t going slow. I fully expected to come in and see myself inside the top nine places. Then, to be 13th, I was like ‘man, I might not have what I need for the race.’ So, it was really nice to have a good start, be able to make some moves and go forward, and end the race with the guys that I was with.”

Manuel Puccetti: “Gerloff put together a really strong, high-level race. Our rider has grown lap by lap and was able to fight for sixth today, just missing out in the final stages. It’s great to see him so competitive and solid and we’re confident that by continuing on this path we can achieve some big goals.”

Points and improvements for Alcoba and Aegerter

Kawasaki WorldSSP Team riders Jeremy Alcoba and Dominique Aegerter took part in the first race of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve WorldSSP weekend, on Saturday 28 March, with Alcoba ending inside the top ten and Aegerter scoring his first points of the season in eleventh position.

After Superpole qualifying, which was held on Friday 27 March, Aegerter started Race One from 15th place on the grid. Alcoba was adjudged to have ignored a yellow warning flag in Superpole and was thus dropped to the last starting place on the grid for Race One. He launched from 32nd position but was to make remarkable progress through the pack once the action got underway. He made up eleven positions on the very first lap.

Jeremy would end up tenth at the chequered flag, having made up 22 places in a determined ride through the field. He would have been ninth, had he not just lost out on a drag race to the line after exiting the final corner. He missed out on a top nine finish by a mere 0.004 seconds.

Having set the ninth fastest lap of the opening race, Jeremy will now start Race Two on Sunday from the third row of the grid.

Aegerter placed 11th in the final Race One classification, making his first mark in the championship rankings after finding some tech issues during the opening round in Australia last month.

Like Race One, Race Two at Portimao on Sunday is scheduled for 17 laps of the 4.592km long hillside circuit.

Manuel Puccetti: “Alcoba made a fantastic recovery, starting from the back of the grid to finish top ten. Tomorrow he’ll start P9 and we’re sure he can run another great race. Aegerter completed his first race with the Kawasaki, scoring important championship points and proving competitive.”

Jeremy Alcoba: “We had a strong race with a strong pace. To come back from P32 on the grid to P10 at the end means I am quite happy. I was also happy with the feeling of the bike, and we set the ninth fastest lap of the race, which means we will start Race Two from P9, on the third row. That’s a lot better than starting from P32, so for sure we could have a really good race. I think the second race can be better.”

Dominique Aegerter: “I got my first points of the season in the first race at Portimao. We still have a lot of work in front of us, and starting from 15th place on the grid was not so easy. I need to get confidence back and give the team a lot of data to work on. I am looking forward to Race Two, and I hope we can improve a little bit in the warm-up session. I hope we have more beautiful weather and sunshine on Sunday, and that we can go in the direction of the top ten.”

Portimao weekend complete for Kawasaki WorldSBK Team

Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) set out to continue his strong performance from the first day of race action at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve into the two Sunday races, to round out the weekend with more points scores.

In the Superpole Race, over ten laps as always, Garrett started from 13th place on the grid. He ended up 14th at the flag, after not finding the same level of relative race pace that saw him finish Race One seventh on Saturday.

The second full distance 20-lap Race Two on Sunday afternoon was looking good for a top ten result for Garrett, but he was to fall on the final corner of the last lap and not be able to make it to the flag.

Despite his final disappointment at losing out on more points, Garrett now sits 12th on the championship rankings, after six individual races over the two opening rounds, in Australia and Portugal.

The next round will take place at Assen, in the Netherlands, between 17-19 April.

Manuel Puccetti: “Unfortunately, Gerloff crashed at the very last corner of the last lap, missing out on the chance to score a well-deserved top ten after fighting long and hard in the chasing group. Luckily, he was unhurt and I’m sure he’ll make up for this in the next races.”

Garrett Gerloff: “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 Two, we were battling for a top ten 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 apologised 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.”

Alcoba moves on up in Race Two

Kawasaki WorldSSP Team rider Jeremy Alcoba secured a strong seventh place in the second race of the Portimao WorldSSP race weekend, while his team-mate Dominique Aegerter rode to 18th place.

In what were once again almost ideal conditions for the riders and the spectators to enjoy at the 4.592km long circuit, the second race of the Portimao weekend got underway with Alcoba starting from ninth place on the grid – a vast improvement on his 32nd grid spot for Race One the previous day.

The Spanish rider, in his second year of WorldSSP competition on the official Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636, ended up riding inside a multi-rider group chasing a fleeing top five riders. He challenged for sixth place right to the very end of the 17-lap race, and missed out on a double-digit points score for sixth place by a mere half a second.

It was a more challenging Sunday for Dominique, as he started the final race 16th on the grid but ended up in 18th position at the end. After a positive start, a drop in rear traction as the race went on saw him slip down the order.

In the championship standings, Alcoba is ninth with 28 points and Aegerter is 22nd, thanks to the five points earned for his Race One 11th place at Portimao.

After the Portimao weekend, the WorldSSP championship will host its third round of the 2026 season at the classic Assen circuit in the Netherlands, between 17-19 April.

Manuel Puccetti: “A positive race for Alcoba, back in the top ten, P7 after recovering well and battling with the chasing group. A good result, also because he achieved it at a track that doesn’t really suit our bikes. Aegerter has shown positive signs and was quick over some laps, one of which came within a few tenths of the fastest lap of the race.”

Jeremy Alcoba: “I had some good battles and a lot of fun. I had a better feeling than Race One, 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 tyre 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: “Sunday’s 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.”