The strikingly modernist and intensely undulating Portimao circuit is a popular venue for the WorldSBK paddock to visit again in 2018, but criticism of the increasingly bumpy track surface during the 2017 race weekend saw the Portuguese track take action recently.
There has been resurfacing in some, but by no means all areas. T1, T5 and the Craig Jones corner have all had new asphalt, in most of the important sections at least.
“It is a bit of a patchy job because the tarmac around the racing line of Turn 1-2 and stops at three – but it is much better,” said Jonathan Rea after giving it a thorough workout over two days at the recent tests. “The level of the asphalt is really high, good quality. Also for grip, as the grip level is high. It would have been nice if they had continued around turn five, because they just have it in the braking area and when tipping in, but then we roll onto the old tarmac when we go around the corner – which is OK. At Jonesey’s corner they have improved a lot the bump right at the apex, but still the ‘join line’ is quite severe when you go past that. They have done a good job and it is much, much better than it was. It is positive.”
Room for improvement yet it seems, but Rea’s team-mate Tom Sykes also thought the new sections made a positive difference.
“The resurfaced area is certainly better on the bumps so yes, it is a definite improvement,” said Sykes. “Coming here for the race weekend should hopefully be better for everybody involved.”
The Portimao round is scheduled for mid-September, with races on the 15th and 16th. Maybe even three of them…