Aruba.it Racing – Ducati are heading to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve full of confidence, as they look forward to wresting their Panigale R’s around the 4.5km circuit.

Chaz Davies is yet to win in Portugal in the WorldSBK class, but took the WorldSSP victory back in 2011, whilst Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has two victories to his name – in 2011 and 2013. Both are hoping to make a big impact in the 10^th round of the series.

Welshman Davies comes off the back of a stunning double victory around Lausitzring, and with the help of some recent mid-season testing he is looking forward to putting what they practised to good use. With the Panigale R’s nature lending itself to the bumpy nature of Portimao circuit, he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with around the fast, sweeping turns on offer.

“It always feels good to get back to racing,” begins a positive Davies. “Especially coming from a double win in the last round. Portimão is a really nice track, we haven’t raced there recently but we’ve always done some testing there over the winter, so it’s a circuit we all know.

I think its bumpy nature will suit our package. It’s always fun and challenging to ride, because it’s bumpy and the tarmac is a bit different every time we go there, sort of like what happens in motocross, so it’s tough to get every detail right.

We’ve been on the podium there a couple of times in different weather conditions, but we’ll try our best to improve our stats further. I’m looking forward to get back on the Panigale R.”

 On the other side of the garage, Marco Melandri is looking forward to using some of the improvements he has made to his Italian machine at the last round in Germany at a circuit he enjoys.

The Italian is confident he can adapt his bike to the bumpy sections of the track, and given his past results in Portugal  he is keen to get on with the challenge ahead at Round 10.

Melandri explains how he will tackle the circuit: “Portimão’s track is among the best in the calendar. It’s a technical track with many elevation changes. Our winter test done there wasn’t particularly strong,"

"but it helped us to get on the right track, and shortly after we scored our first podium in Australia. The tarmac is not in the best shape, but also it's not as bad as in Germany. Each round we improve our knowledge of the package and, considering the steps forward we made for Race 2 in Germany and the info we collected, we should now be able to better adapt to bumpy tracks."

"In the past I had some strong results at Portimão, and I think it can suit our bike well, so we approach this round with confidence.” 

Thanks to Chaz Davies’ (Aruba it.Racing-Ducati) double victory at the Prosecco DOC German Round, the points difference between Kawasaki and Ducati in the Manufacturers Championship standings has now decreased slightly, meaning the fight is on. Kawasaki continues to lead the way – which they have done since the beginning of the season - thanks to the constant successes of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team). After the first 9 Rounds, the green team have 415 points, against the 359 points of Ducati, and 204 of the third position, Yamaha.

The difference between the two manufacturers is 56 points with 8 races remaining. Although a big gap, it is a smaller margin than the one the Japanese factory had in 2016 at this point in the Championship, when even before the final four rounds, they had a 95 point lead over Ducati. In that campaign, Kawasaki won their second consecutive title in the manufacturers fight, which was secured in Race 1 at Jerez with three races remaining.

In the FIM Supersport World Championship, Yamaha leads the Manufacturers standings with a total of 171 points, while Kawasaki sit in second place, just 14 points behind with four races remaining.

The initial lead in this title fight was held by MV Agusta thanks to Roberto Rolfo's victory at Phillip Island, but as they were unable to repeat this stunning victory, results have brought the Italian manufacturer down to fourth place (with 100 points), surpassed by Honda (108 points) thanks to the recent results from Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda).

Kenan Sofuoglu’s (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) phenomenal streak started back in April at the TT Circuit Assen, which saw him secure four victories and a second position has enabled Kawasaki to gradually chip away at the advantage which Yamaha have secured.

This came from Sheridan Morias (Kallio Racing), Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and following the performance in Germany; it seems to indicate that the fight will be kept until the end. In 2016 Kawasaki won the title with a big lead: they ended the season with a 43 points advantage over Honda, ahead of MV Agusta and Yamaha.

Anticipation is building for the return of the World Superbike World Championship to Portimao, and it’s a round both Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes are keen to get underway.

The pair sit at the top of the championship standings, and have been evaluating their chances ahead of the Portuguese Round.

Reigning champion Rea quickly turned his attention to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 10, and following a private mid-season test he is confident he will be able to  build up his pace from Friday.

Despite showing concern regarding the bumpy nature of the track, it is one he has some strong success around in the past – with the Northern Irish rider winning the last three races held around the 4.5km circuit.

 “I'm happy to return to Portimao this weekend as it's a race weekend that I really enjoy,” begins Rea.

“The circuit has a lot of character and is fun to ride, but in recent years the track has become very bumpy. It will be very important to optimise our set up to be strong for the full race. We had a great private test in the middle of the year so I'm sure we can start on Friday with a good feeling."

"I have spent the last few days here in Portugal already with my family, enjoying the Algarve weather and getting focused for what is a very important weekend for me. Our target is to try and win two races.”

British team-mate Sykes is on the cusp of securing the record for the most Superpole victories, sitting with 42 pole positions so far, 43 could take him to the overall record.

At a circuit Sykes has taken two victories around – in 2012 and 2014 – he has made the most of the three week break and heads into the final third of the season refreshed. With time for reflection over the shorter break, the Yorkshire rider looks forward to working through some of his issues from so far this season.

Sykes explains: “I am looking forward to getting back in the saddle and getting some proper results in. We had almost another summer break in the season after Germany so I have had time to reflect on the year and I feel it is going OK."

"I need to work some more things out and honestly speaking I know I am capable of more. At the moment it is down to me trying to change my riding style and get a little extra from the bike."

"We will keep working on that. Portimao is a track I like, and where I have had some success, but the circuit itself is bumpy now. I am looking forward to going there again, especially after spending time away from the track since the previous round.”

As the Superbike World Championship heads into the final four rounds of the season, it has been announced that Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team are calling on the talents of Takumi Takahashi for two of the final four rounds. 

The Japanese rider will be taking Nicky Hayden's bike, who tragically lost his life back in May.

Takahashi has a strong relationship with Honda, as their test rider as well a three time Suzuka 8-Hour winner with the manufacturer.

Proud to have been asked to race for them on the world stage, the 27 year old is keen to get out in front of the WorldSBK paddock and fans. 

"I’m honoured," begins Takahashi. "As a rider who has continuously fought to race on the world stage, that my achievements and experience have been recognised, and I have been given the opportunity to race in the World Superbike Championship."

"I’ll use all of the experience I’ve gained racing the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in the All-Japan championship to aim high and contribute to the team."

"I’d like to ride my best in front of the world’s Superbike fans, so I hope they’ll look forward to seeing me."