This weekend sees the final European round of the World Superbike Championship at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. GMT94 Yamaha and Jules Cluzel won the round in 2021. The whole team is aiming for a podium finish before heading to Argentina.
During the first practice session Jules Cluzel immediately got into the good pace. The rider of the #16 GMT94 Yamaha R6 was in the lead for a long time, but was unable to improve his time. A lack of grip after ten laps prevented him from doing so. He finished 8th, Andy Verdoia 12th. The team managed to solve these problems in FP2. Jules was able to put in some fast laps and finished 7th, only two tenths behind the leader. His excellent pace suggests a good weekend for the GMT94. Andy Verdoia finished 21st. Once again, the qualifying session will be important in order to allow Jules to be at the front of the pack from the very first laps.
Christophe Guyot: “Jules made a good job today. By working together we were able to better understand the poor performance in Barcelona Race 2, and Jules’ lack of grip at the end of FP1. This is very good news for the Portuguese round, where Jules is always feeling comfortable. The bike is working again for Jules over a race distance, and with a good qualifying we can expect to see him on the podium.“
The GMT94 Yamaha will be wear a sticker for this round in honour of Phil Read, who sadly passed away yesterday. He won numerous titles in 125cc, 250cc and 500cc Grand Prix racing. He became a legend in motorbike sport. He also won 4 250cc titles and 1 125cc title with Yamaha. All Yamaha riders will wear a sticker in his memory for this Portuguese round.
The whole team is looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at 10.30am and 3.15pm (local time) for the Superpole and Race 1.
7 October 2022
