World Superbike Portimao, Portugal - Superpole Qualifying Results
Toprak Razgatlioglu has claimed his second consecutive pole position of the 2021 World Superbike season thanks to a stunning new lap record in Portimao.
Rea, who had led every session so far this weekend, looked on course to do so again following his first and second runs, however, the six-time world champion was then bettered by over three tenths by Razgatlioglu.
There was a bizarre moment early on as several riders including championship leader Razgatlioglu concluded laps, but the Algarve International Circuit transponder failed to pick up their lap times.
After a slight delay to those times showing up, Razgatlioglu was eventually shown as second - just under three tenths off of provisional pole sitter Rea.
Leon Haslam then split the two title contenders after being the last rider to set a time.
As the second and final runs began, Eugene Laverty became the lone crasher of qualifying due to a spill in sector three, while Rea went even faster.
Then came Razgatlioglu’s sensational final effort which was also good enough to take the circuit lap record away from Rea.
Heading off from the start of row two will be Scott Redding who momentarily got up to third, while Michael Van Der Mark’s impressive weekend continued as he claimed fifth. Alvaro Bautista will line up sixth on the second factory Honda.
| World Superbike Portimao, Portugal - Superpole Qualifying Results | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | PATA Yamaha | 1:40.219s |
| 2 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.305s |
| 3 | Leon Haslam | GBR | Team HRC | +0.561s |
| 4 | Scott Redding | GBR | Aruba.It Ducati | +0.655s |
| 5 | Michael Van Der Mark | NED | Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team | +0.754s |
| 6 | Alvaro Bautista | SPA | Team HRC | +0.794s |
| 7 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | PATA Yamaha | +0.927s |
| 8 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | GRT Yamaha | +1.069s |
| 9 | Loris Baz | FRA | GoEleven Ducati | +1.165s |
| 10 | Michael Rinaldi | ITA | Aruba.It Ducati | +1.186s |
| 11 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Ducati | +1.374s |
| 12 | Leandro Mercado | ARG | MIE Honda Racing | +1.380s |
| 13 | Eugene Laverty | IRL | Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team | +1.652s |
| 14 | Isaac Vinales | SPA | Orelac Racing Kawasaki | +1.690s |
| 15 | Samuele Cavalieri | SPA | Barni Ducati | +1.948s |
| 16 | Kohta Nozane | JPN | GRT Yamaha | +1.989s |
| 17 | Loris Cresson | BEL | Pedercini Kawasaki | +2.712s |
| 18 | Christophe Ponsson | FRA | Gil Yamaha | +2.719s |
| 19 | Jonas Folger | GER | Benovo BMW | +3.045s |
| 20 | Tito Rabat | ITA | Kawasaki Puccetti | +3.781s |
| 21 | Lachlan Epis | AUS | Pedercini Kawasaki | +4.536s |
| 22 | Gabrielle Ruiu | ITA | B-Max Racing Team | +4.617s |
Free Practice Three
Jonathan Rea remains fastest at World Superbike Portimao as he bettered title rival Toprak Razgatlioglu by less than a tenth in FP3
After finishing second overall on day one, Alex Lowes will take no further part in the weekend after being ruled out due to injury early Saturday morning.
On-track, Razgatlioglu laid down an early marker by setting his best lap of the weekend on just his first flying lap of the session.
A time of 1:40.761s was a full second quicker than he managed on day one, which also put him over four tenths clear of Rea.
Razgatlioglu continued to churn out laps quicker than Rea’s personal best, while Garrett Gerloff moved to within two tenths of his fellow Yamaha rider after following the championship leader out on track
At the beginning of Rea’s final run, the six-time world champion managed to better Razgatlioglu’s time by two tenths of a second. Andrea Locatelli, who was fourth before his final stint also improved to get ahead of Gerloff and into P3.
Locatelli did suffer a late crash in sector three, however, the Italian rider was unhurt and back on his feet immediately.
The top Ducati for much of the session was once again Loris Baz. The Frenchman was sixth before being dropped to seventh by factory team rider Scott Redding who jumped to fifth.
