Tommy Bridewell banks his first WorldSBK championship points at Portimão

• The Superbike Advocates Racing rider concludes his first WorldSBK weekend with a solid points finish in Sunday’s Race 2

The second round of the 2026 FIM Superbike World Championship drew to a close at Portimão’s AIA Circuit on Sunday, the day bringing positive results for Superbike Advocates Racing and rider Bridewell, who did well to secure P13 in Race 2 with the Ducati Panigale V4R.

First up was the Superpole race, which ran in the late morning. Bridewell’s result in Saturday’s qualifying meant that he lined up on row seven of the grid for this short sprint. The ten-lap race got underway in dry but relatively windy conditions, which posed an additional challenge for the field. Getting away well when the lights went out, Tommy moved temporarily up into sixteenth. Struggling to exploit the tyre and keep pace with the group, the British rider slipped to twentieth. Knowing how important it is to collect data at this early stage of a new project, Bridewell focused on completing a clean race. Avoiding mistakes and making up one position in the last lap, the Superbike Advocates Racing rider crossed the line P19.

The weekend’s second and final 20-lap SBK race ran mid-afternoon, with Tommy again starting in twentieth position. Eager to reach the finish line and collect useful data in light of yesterday’s Race 1 result, Bridewell kept his head down and focused on managing his race. With several of his rivals caught up in incidents, Tommy moved up to sixteenth by lap eight. Reaching the points zone a couple of laps later, he lay fourteenth through the central phase of the race. Gaining another position in the final stages and holding firm to cross the line thirteenth, #46 was pleased to score his first three championship points as a full-time rider.

With points on the board, Bridewell positions twentieth in the championship standings at the end of his first WorldSBK event as a full-time entry. Next up for Superbike Advocates Racing is the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, which will host the third WorldSBK championship round on 17-19 April.

Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates Racing #46)
“The Superpole race was tough, but I knew it would be, as I’m still learning how to exploit the softer tyre. My riding style is a little bit more reliant on corner entry, while in this championship it’s all about mid-corner and corner exit. 

In the main race, the plan was to make a decent start, stick with the group for as long as I could, and complete all twenty laps. We really needed the track time, as we’ve had no testing at all, and only about ten dry laps at this track before the weekend began. So all in all, I can say that I’m happy and have learned a huge amount about what’s required in terms of riding style, how to get the best out of the bike, the tyres - all of which is crucial. There’s still a lot to learn of course, but you can’t expect to do it all in one weekend. 

We’ve had a good, strong debut weekend as a brand-new team, everyone’s done an amazing job and now it’s all about building on the platform we’ve established here as we head into the next rounds. I’m already looking forward to the next one!”