Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) wasted zero time making an impression in front of his home fans, landing fourth on the combined timesheets to open his weekend at the Circuito Estoril in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The Portuguese star finished just a few tenths behind pacesetter Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) on Friday at the Tissot Estoril Round as he chases another trip to the rostrum.
Things started with a tenth-place finish in Free Practice 1 for the #88 machine, where he clocked a 1’36.490s to sit just under a second off Bulega's benchmark. Because BMW had already run a test at the Portuguese venue back in August, long runs weren't a priority in the opening session, leaving his longest stint at a modest five laps with his quickest effort arriving early in run two.
Afternoon running in FP2 followed a similar script, featuring stints capped at four laps completed on three separate occasions, excluding in and out laps. That lack of extended running leaves his exact race pace somewhat hidden, but when the team bolted on a fresh tyre at the end of the session alongside much of the grid, Oliveira rocketed up the order to secure fourth in both FP2 and the overall classification.
Reflecting on his opening day, Oliveira said: “It was a good Friday. The balance was already at a good level from the start of FP1. Then we made some adjustments for the second session and the bike was okay. We had some difficulties putting together a good fast lap, so we’re looking to make more adjustments tomorrow to be able to get the most out of the package. For today, I think the pace was not that bad. The conditions were a bit hard with the wind and the lack of grip. We had a good, solid Friday.”
Having established a solid baseline thanks to that August test, the garage spent Friday fine-tuning the BMW M 1000 RR to cope with the tricky track and weather conditions rather than chasing radical overhauls. Those minor suspension tweaks helped the rider with four WorldSBK podiums to his name climb the timing screens when it mattered.
Detailing the technical steps taken, Oliveira said: “Essentially, we made a couple of adjustments to the suspension. It put us a little more in the window that we need to work, so for that reason the step was good. Already, as a base, I was close to the top five. Then, again, in the last few minutes when more or less everybody used a new tyre, we were again able to get a good two laps. I’m happy about that and hopefully tomorrow we can put some more stuff together. It’ll be good if we can get a good result. I’ll do my best and also the team. It’ll be nice to finish the season strong and start preparing for the future.”
Three of Oliveira’s four WorldSBK rostrums came on home soil at Portimao during Round 2, where he rewarded packed grandstands with a triple trip to the podium. Now, racing at his second home round of the season, the stage is set to see if he can repeat that magic.
