After the long summer break, the Superbike World Championship resumes in Portugal

After the long summer break – the last race was in Misano at the beginning of July – it's time to restart the engines this weekend on the track in Portimao. In reality a test session was held during the third week of August where both Melandri and Davies had good results. Unfortunately Davies arrives in Portugal still recovering from the double injury to his collarbone, and while he will be able to participate in the race, his shoulder will be well tested on a circuit that requires a great deal of physical effort. 

The autodrome in Algarve has gone from being one of the world's top circuits at its debut in 2008 to the point of risking being excluded from the world stage. In fact the track's asphalt is rather rough, and even during test runs the riders complained about the ruined track. It's a shame because this track is extremely technical and includes two jumps that make it quite spectacular. 

Chaz Davies picked up only one victory here, in 2011 when he was racing in SuperSport, while in Superbike he has reached the podium a few times. Marco Melandri, however, has already won twice here and seems to be particularly at home on the ups and downs of the Algarve.