It has been an amazing Superbike World Championship so far in 2012, with eight different race winners and every participating manufacturer having tasted podium success at least once. Furthermore, there are still four races and 100 points on offer before the series ends on 7 October at Magny-Cours in France. The unpredictability of this year’s results has kept race fans on a knife-edge all year and with just 26.5 points separating the top three riders in the standings, the championship will almost certainly go ‘down to the wire’ at the final race weekend of the season.

For now though, all the focus has switched to the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal, which hosts the penultimate round of this year’s title battle. Who would have predicted the events last time out at the Nürburgring, where Marco Melandri lost his lead in the rider standings and scored zero points after two very uncharacteristic front-end crashes at the famous circuit in the Eifel region.

Understandably, Melandri quickly put all that behind him and no sooner had he left the ‘Ring’ then his focus turned towards Portimão. His objective is simple: to regain the championship lead at the 4.445 km track where he enjoys racing and celebrated a victory in 2011. His impressive tally includes six victories and four second places so far this year, so Marco is determined to return to winning ways in the Algarve on Sunday.

“It looks like we are going to have good weather at Portugal, so I am very happy about that,” he said. “I expect tough races, for sure. There are just two rounds to go and the championship is still very open for quite a few riders. So it will be not easy, but very interesting. I will approach the weekend like I always do. In preparation I have trained a lot back home and in Portimão I will try to enjoy the riding. The whole team and I will do our best and just try to be consistent and fast in both races.

“Portimão is one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world. The layout is unbelievable. There are up and down sections that you find on no other racetrack and the corners are pretty fast. Last year I was there for the first time and I had a good result. The races are not going to be easy because for sure it will be close between many riders.”

Still in search of that elusive first victory, the luckless Leon Haslam has spent more time in and out of hospital in the past fortnight, but the tough Brit enjoys racing in Portimão and is feeling confident about his chances at the track where he has finished on the podium three times in the past, including a double podium in 2010.

“Germany was pretty tough; I had two more crashes on my shoulder but I had some MRI scans which were quite positive,” he said. “There is no tendon damage, just at the ligament and some fluid in the joint. So I’ll benefit from resting it before the next race in Portugal. I had a virus also in Germany, so last week I was recovering from that also. I spent some time relaxing and now I am looking forward to Portimão.

“The racetrack is very different; it is very up and down and quite aggressive. It is one of the circuits I have enjoyed in the past. Last year we had a tough time but during the tests we have done there over the winter we were quite competitive so I am looking forward to going back there with this bike. Like always we will push for the win which we know we can get. We just need a little bit more luck and then we can achieve that target.”

The final word as always goes to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Head of Race Operations Andrea Dosoli, who is also full of optimism and determination as the team heads to Portimão in its quest for championship glory.

“After the difficult and unlucky races at the Nürburgring we are all looking forward to Portimão,” he commented. “The whole team is highly motivated to get back the points we lost during the two races on German soil. The Portuguese racetrack, with its uphill turns, downhill braking and the never-ending elevation changes is the perfect playground for our riders and crews. It will be demanding for the tyres and for the riders, whose riding skills and physical condition will face a tough challenge.

“Leon’s shoulder and elbow injuries – ‘memories’ of the recent crashes at Moscow and Nürburgring – were worrying all of us. But now we are confident that after the medical treatment and few days of rest he will be able to show all his talent. Leon knows the podium in Portimão well, having been on it already three times. Marco also has a special memory of the Portuguese track; he won the last race of the 2011 season there. He has already forgotten the unlucky German races. Now he is, like all of us, very motivated and convinced that our package will be competitive also in Portugal. It will be a difficult weekend, our competitors are becoming stronger and stronger, but we are well prepared and ready to fight!”

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