The penultimate round of the 2026 WorldSBK Championship got off to the best possible start for Alberto Surra and Team Motocorsa Racing. Following the extraordinary weekend in Cremona and the official announcement of the Italian rider’s confirmation for the 2027 season, the team returned to action at the Estoril Circuit, finishing second in both of Friday’s Free Practice sessions.
The day began with an excellent performance in FP1, where Surra secured P2, just 0.052 seconds behind Nicolò Bulega, who set the fastest time of the session. An extremely positive start, confirming the competitiveness of both the rider and the Ducati Panigale V4 R on the Portuguese circuit from the very first laps. In the afternoon, Alberto maintained the same level of performance, finishing FP2 in second position once again, just 0.066 seconds behind Bulega.
Friday’s results confirm the excellent form of Surra and the entire Team Motocorsa Racing, fresh from their first podium together at Cremona. The team will return to work on Saturday morning for FP3, before taking on Superpole and Race 1, aiming to turn the positive feeling from the opening day into another strong result.
ALBERTO SURRA – RIDER
“I’m really happy with how Friday went. I have a good feeling with the bike, both on new and used tyres, which is definitely positive. I’m now ready and motivated for the rest of the weekend, and I can’t wait to get back on track tomorrow!”
LORENZO MAURI – TEAM MANAGER
“It’s only Friday, but the work carried out by Alberto and the technicians, together with all the setup changes we tested today, has given us very positive feedback. We’re still missing a little something in terms of race pace, so tomorrow morning we’ll continue working on different setup and bike balance solutions to find the best configuration for the full-length race in the afternoon. Estoril is a very physically demanding circuit, and we know we’ll have to fight from the first lap to the very last.”
LINK TO OUR DROPBOX WITH HD PHOTOS: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/x18wryyl3g3dftaqtz3ur/AHTlIbSY-4ZRuffAGJp_9f4?rlkey=qyrwbwjhgwnrtc671raj0n0wc&st=sf0hl48x&dl=0
