Barring the O show standing in for six times world champion Jonathan Rea it’s going to be more of the same isn’t it? Hopefully sr45 carries on his decent form from round one. Toprak fastest in last weeks test at the same track….
I think toprak will be back on form but I don’t think that will be the tail of the season, I think the BMW has always been ‘decent’ around portimao even before he got his new frame last year and so he will be strong, then possibly back to struggle street for the following rounds. I’m absolutely desperate to see Taz somewhere other than in the bottom 3 and 2.8 Seconds off the pace! It’s just soul destroying seeing it every round. If he could get in that top 13 it would be a big step and give his career a boost! His team mate, well, for anyone who saw him at PI 7 seconds off the pace in practise, he even looked like a trackday rider out there
I’m inclined to agree, no one gives you a race win in Supersport on slicks in the wet when the bike is 20mph slower than anything else. a good electronics package in wsbk should have played into his strengths as well as he’s so physically small. But you need engineers who can get the most out of it. maybe next year he can get off the Honda which let’s face it has done nothing! The most plausible reason I’ve heard is that Honda develop all parts in Japan on Bridgestone tyres, either way… sadly I don’t think Taz will get another shot after this year. The team I think look more organised and better funded than they are. the only remaining hope for Taz is maybe a drop down to Supersport with Yamaha perhaps as he enjoys a great relationship with them, and try to run at the front and get a shot on a Ducati in a few years as Yamaha won’t be able to run the r1 for that long
Sad to say, I think his career is done. He had no success during his foray in WSSP after his BSB championship, I don’t think he’ll fair any better there. Something I certainly have failed to factor in, all the fuss about Alvaro and weight penalties, Taz has to be in the same boat (but on a crap bike). Andy
Doesn't take much to fall out of favour when you switch championships from a strong position, only to find yourself in a less well funded team and on an uncompetitive bike for a couple of seasons, before everyone has you marked down as a "has been". Unfortunately this seems to be the fate of many riders who switch series camps and don't have the luxury or marketable value, to leap from one top flight team into an equivalent other. Talent can ony extract so much from a bike. If the package isn't there, no amount of it will push a rider further up the grid.
and a British passport is just not worth anything now in racing, probably because we have always had a number of brits in wsbk so one more isn’t an appeal to them, but also because we just don’t have the big sponsorship backings for our riders like the PATA chips or the Sterigalda etc
I think it will be the last year for Taz, i don't him being there next year for his own mental state. You can't keep running at the back on a poor bike. BSB return for him like Brad Ray has done. Maybe they all need a manager like Vickers has got. How he got that ride is crazy.
Doesn’t his dad manage him? Going to be a while before any improvements filter down I’d imagine so it’s either hunker down or seek alternative employment. If I was him I’d be on the phone to foggy begging for a go on one of *his Ducati’s next year.
Agree, Taz alas likely last year and if he wants to race next year back into BSB at best. He seemed top 5 at best until the year he won tho, like his brother just somehow a little less than top top. Maybe bike has to be 100% spot on for it to work for him? Or maybe in being harsh
possibly a bit of truth and a bit of being harsh, running consistently in the top 5 of BSB is pretty tough! Means you are beating Brookes, Irwin, the o show, Haslam etc, so yeah, tricky one. Also his size while it should work in his favour at wsbk I think is a big disadvantage in the uk
Delayed start and no Toprak for the whole session, not a great start to the weekend. Factory Ducati boys one and two.
A better start for Taz! 14th and 1.8s ish off, but importantly only 0.6 off the factory bike. It’s not setting the world on fire but it’s a step forward and he just needs those each time he goes out. If he could be with the factory Honda guys pace wise that’s about as best anyone can hope for. His team mate however…. 5 seconds off. Ouch…
Toprak back on top and the only rider into the 1.39’s. All Ducatis barring RV in the top 10. AL22 and MVDM making up the others. https://www.crash.net/wsbk/results/1065996/1/2025-portuguese-world-superbike-friday-practice-results
Dreadful race for the brits taz highest placed in 14th lol Still like to see the incident with Sr and Ab again although it doesn’t look like there’s much footage.
Any stewards decision on SR45/AB19 collision? And P14 is sadly decent for Taz. Dunno why Vickers went so badly and JOH22 I had no expectations of - he said it was basically a data-gathering exercise for Yam.
Did you see Vickers binning it on landing after the 'bump'? I'd say that might have affected him a bit!
From the little i saw it was a racing incident between Scott and AB but 45 looked like he was going all out and the more *reckless from the start. Agree re Taz.
