Honda HRC keen to carry its recent momentum into Estoril
Circuito EstorilDixon and Chantra gear up for the penultimate round of the 2026 WorldSBK season in Portugal
The Circuito do Estoril in Portugal will host this weekend’s Superbike World Championship round, the penultimate event on the 2026 calendar.
The Honda HRC team is coming off the back of a very positive Italian round and is eager to continue the upward trend into the Portuguese race weekend with factory riders Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra.
The factory squad also benefits from having useful data at its disposal this weekend, having recently completed a two-day test session at Estoril. That track time was particularly beneficial to Dixon, who was visiting the circuit for the first time, while Chantra was able to refamiliarise himself with a layout he had not previously ridden with a Superbike.
Both Dixon and Chantra scored points in the two full-length races at Italy’s Cremona Circuit, with the British rider achieving an all-time best WorldSBK result of sixth in Race 2. The Honda HRC team aims to carry that positive momentum into the Estoril weekend and obtain the best possible outcome as the season enters its final stages.
Located near the coastal town of Estoril, around 30 km from Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, the 4182-metre Circuito do Estoril features four left-hand turns and nine right-handers, along with a main straight stretching almost 1 km. The circuit makes its seventh appearance on the WorldSBK calendar this weekend, with the autumn timing of the round potentially bringing changeable weather conditions into play.
SBK RECORDS: Best lap – Bulega (Ducati) 1'34.973 (2025). Superpole – Razgatlioglu (BMW) 1'34.203 (2025).
2025 SBK RESULTS:
Race 1 - 1. Razgatlioglu (BMW); 2. Bulega (Ducati); 3. Bautista (Ducati)
Superpole Race - 1. Razgatlioglu (BMW); 2. Bulega (Ducati); 3. Bautista (Ducati)
Race 2 – 1. Bulega (Ducati); 2. Razgatlioglu (BMW); 3. Bautista (Ducati)
"I’ll approach Estoril like any other race weekend – full attack and trying to do all I can. I’m getting more and more comfortable and think we’ll only get stronger from here. Of course, we’ll have our ups and downs like anyone, but the aim is to keep this trend going, work hard, stay focused and try to achieve the best possible results. We tested at Estoril a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. It was my first time riding there and I really like the track. It has really good character, I feel it suits my style, and I think the Honda should go pretty well there. Having already had the chance to ride the track and do some work with the bike should definitely be useful as we start the weekend.”
"I’ll approach Estoril like any other race weekend – full attack and trying to do all I can. I’m getting more and more comfortable and think we’ll only get stronger from here. Of course, we’ll have our ups and downs like anyone, but the aim is to keep this trend going, work hard, stay focused and try to achieve the best possible results. We tested at Estoril a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed it. It was my first time riding there and I really like the track. It has really good character, I feel it suits my style, and I think the Honda should go pretty well there. Having already had the chance to ride the track and do some work with the bike should definitely be useful as we start the weekend.”
“I’m arriving at Estoril very motivated and ready to continue the work with the team. I want to keep pushing hard and improving together. We had a useful two-day test at the track in August, working in different conditions, both wet and dry. By the end of the test, the feeling with the bike was quite good, and we also completed some long runs with solid lap times and found some positive direction in terms of setup. So, we have some useful information with which to start the weekend, though it’s never enough – we always need and want to improve more. We’ll keep working hard and try to make another step.”
“I’m arriving at Estoril very motivated and ready to continue the work with the team. I want to keep pushing hard and improving together. We had a useful two-day test at the track in August, working in different conditions, both wet and dry. By the end of the test, the feeling with the bike was quite good, and we also completed some long runs with solid lap times and found some positive direction in terms of setup. So, we have some useful information with which to start the weekend, though it’s never enough – we always need and want to improve more. We’ll keep working hard and try to make another step.”
