The 2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship reaches its penultimate stop at the Tissot Estoril Round, the 11th of 12 rounds on the calendar. The meeting at Portugal’s Circuito Estoril comes one week before the finale at Jerez. The championship has already been decided, but the Portuguese weekend still carries major consequences for the record books, the standings and several riders’ futures.

Nicolo Bulega arrives as the 2026 WorldSBK champion with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, yet his season has another target in sight. He has won 26 races and needs two more to move past Alvaro Bautista’s single-season benchmark of 27 victories. Bulega has two WorldSBK rounds remaining before the next step in his career, a move to MotoGP, giving him a chance to finish his title campaign with another landmark.

The championship battles still open

Iker Lecuona will be among the riders trying to interrupt that run. Bulega’s teammate comes to Estoril after the first WorldSBK hat-trick of his career, having won all three races at Cremona. Honda already has a podium at the Portuguese circuit, with Lecuona securing that result in 2024.

Alvaro Bautista also has plenty at stake. The two-time world champion returns with Barni Spark Racing Team without a confirmed seat for 2027. He is 15 points behind Alberto Surra and remains in contention for eighth place in the championship. Bautista and Bulega are the only riders on this year’s grid to have won at Estoril, adding another layer to their return to the track.

Third place is another battle likely to shape the weekend. Yari Montella leads Alex Lowes by 43 points and Sam Lowes by 50. To secure the position mathematically at Estoril, Montella must hold a gap of at least 62 points over both brothers. Alex’s best result at the circuit is fourth in Race 2 in 2025; Sam’s best is 13th, achieved in 2024.

Andrea Locatelli is looking to move back towards the front with Pata Maxus Yamaha. He recorded three top-ten finishes at Cremona, although the season remains difficult for the Italian and the team. Estoril has generally suited Locatelli, who has shown competitive pace in most of his previous appearances there, with the exception of his first two races at the circuit.

Grid changes and a home round for Oliveira

Xavi Vierge will make his final two Yamaha appearances at Estoril before joining Barni Ducati for 2027, where he will race alongside Montella. Jake Dixon arrives for Honda after taking the manufacturer’s best WorldSBK result of 2026: sixth in Race 2 at Cremona. Tommy Bridewell, Stefano Manzi and Somkiat Chantra will also be part of the Estoril field.

Miguel Oliveira has a particularly strong local connection to the event. The circuit is approximately 30 minutes from his hometown of Almada, making this another home round for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team rider. Oliveira reached fifth place in Cremona’s second race before crashing. His task in Portugal will be to turn that evidence of speed into a completed result in front of his home crowd.

Oliveira’s teammate Danilo Petrucci has announced that he is not pursuing other options for 2027. Petrucci has raced at Estoril once in WorldSBK, in 2024, when fifth was his best result. Twan Smits will be chasing his first points of the season, while Mattia Rato will seek to add to his current total.

Tarran Mackenzie will miss the Portuguese round while recovering from injuries sustained at Donington Park. Loris Baz will replace him. Remy Gardner’s participation with GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team will be decided after Thursday’s required medical check.

Estoril broadcast schedule

  • Saturday 10 October, 16:00: WorldSSP Race 1
  • Saturday 10 October, 17:30: WorldSBK Race 1
  • Sunday 11 October, 16:00: WorldSSP Race 2
  • Sunday 11 October, 17:30: WorldSBK Race 2

The races will be broadcast exclusively via ANT1+ in Greece. With the title already secured, Estoril therefore becomes a weekend about more than Bulega’s pursuit of the win record. Montella can strengthen his position in the fight for third, Bautista is chasing eighth, and Oliveira is looking for a significant home result before the season closes at Jerez one week later.