The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is heading back to Portugal for the penultimate round of its 2026 season, and Brembo has the data to prove just how brutal the 4.182 km-long Circuito Estoril really is. Supplying 13 of the grid’s 14 teams, the Italian braking giant has categorized the Portuguese venue as 'highly demanding,' landing a four out of five on their braking difficulty index. Over the lap, riders lean on their anchors across nine separate braking zones for a punishing total of 26 seconds. Four of those zones sit in the High category—including a relentless double-hit at Turns 6 and 7—alongside two Medium sections and three Low stress areas.
Nowhere is that stress more absolute than at the end of the 985-metre start/finish straight. Turn 1 is an absolute monster for the machinery. Machines scream down the tarmac at 310 km/h before the riders clamp hard, dragging the speed down to 84 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. In that brief, violent window, the bike covers 249 metres while the rider exerts a brutal 5.6 kg load on the brake lever. The resulting deceleration hits 1.5 g, sending the pressure inside the Brembo brake fluid skyrocketing to 12 bar.
It’s no secret that my riding style favours high-speed corners, which is why Turn 13 at the Estoril Circuit is one of my favourites,
The layout demands absolute precision as riders navigate the parabolic sweep of Turns 3 and 4, hustle through the kinked back straight, and scrape knees through the high-speed right of Turn 5. Sector two bleeds into the 'Parabolica Interior' at Turn 6, looping left for 'Orelha' Turn 7 and Turn 8, before drivers mash the anchors for the tight left-to-right chicane of Turns 9 and 10. After a gradual right at Turn 11 and a tricky 90-degree left at Turn 12, the track spits everyone out onto the long, high-speed 'Parabolica Ayrton Senna' Turn 13—a sweeping, wide righthanded half-moon that dictates the run back onto the start-finish straight.
That final stretch of asphalt holds a special place in the hearts of some massive names. For 2026 WorldSBK Champion Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), it carries the memory of an absolute masterpiece. Bulega earned one of his career highlights right here, using a blistering final sector through Turn 13 to pip Toprak Razgatlioglu in the closest-ever finish in WorldSBK history back in 2024. “It’s no secret that my riding style favours high-speed corners, which is why Turn 13 at the Estoril Circuit is one of my favourites,” Bulega explained.
WorldSSP breakout star Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) shares that affection, having scaled new heights aboard his ZXMOTO 820 RR during the manufacturer’s debut season in the category. Debise tasted glorious success at the venue last season, taking his second victory just a round after claiming his first WorldSSP win in his third season. Recalling the magic of that finish, Debise said: “The last corner is my favourite. Last year when I won a race, I remember going out of that Turn like crazy, burning the rear tyre. You could see on TV that my rear tyre was smoking. Even now, people speak to me about it!”
