By Donovan Fourie | Guest Contributor | MotoGP Analyst
Return to Europe
This weekend, the MotoGP Championship returns to Europe with the Portuguese round at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, a track more colloquially known simply as Portimao, because that’s the closest city.
The track is one hill away from the ocean, and more importantly, it is on a hill. A messy hill at that, with crests and ravines, and it is one of the most difficult circuits to learn.
The Challenge of Portimao
Speaking from personal experience – Honda hosted a Fireblade launch there a few years ago – treading onto the circuit for the first time was like being a goalie during a penalty shoot-out. It has various loops with tight, tricky corners, but to sweeten the difficulty deal, many of these tricky corners are preceded by a sharp crest, making said corner utterly blind.
With the track being completely new, you have no idea where you are going, and have trouble remembering what came after each of the many blind crests. So, like the proverbial goalie, you end up in the middle of the track, cresting the rise and waiting to find out which way to dive.
With the difficulty level on maximum, it’s unsurprising that Portimao does not have any rider that have dominated there for years.
What Makes This Track Unique
It’s a good track for Fabio Quartararo, who has won two races there, equalled by Pecco Bagnaia. Two is not a lot of wins when talking about the most successful rider at a circuit.
The track rolls over the crests and troughs for 4.5km with nine right-hand corners and six lefts. It’s a track that requires grip under hard acceleration to get out of the tight corners, and stability for when the bike is out of said corners.
Power, Aerodynamics and Control
A 300hp MotoGP bike is already trying to throw the rider off, even without rollercoaster features. It’s true – the wheelie control system on these bikes will automatically close the throttle when it senses the front wheel lifting. Obviously, the more the front wheel wants to lift, the more it closes the throttle. If it didn’t do this, the bike would literally flip backwards.
Modern road bikes are equipped with a similar feature, and with the power of these modern bikes, it works right up until third gear, after which the longer gears are enough to stable the horses.
A MotoGP bike is still having to tame its front wheel in fifth gear at more than 300km/h. Think about that – at 300km/h, a MotoGP bike is accelerating so hard that it still wants to flip the bike.
Now the riders are having to contest not only with the bike that’s trying to kill them, but doing so while cresting Everest.
Of all the circuits on the calendar, this is the one that will most require the assistance of aerodynamics. The wings and various implements attached to the fairings are designed to push the front wheel down so that the throttle needs less automatic closing. No other circuit induces more wheelies than this one.
The Main Straight and Speed
The main straight is the best example of this – the bikes exit a rare fast corner onto the 970m main straight, and then immediately climb to a crest a little before crossing the finish line. The wheelie control must be going absolutely crazy trying to crest this climb while going airborne.
Despite these massive challenges, the bikes still manage a top speed of 352km/h.
Who to Watch
Marc Marquez would normally be the best bet for a win this weekend, but even that bet would be far from sure. This is partially because he does not have the best track record here, even in the years he’s dominated, but mostly because he’s not racing. The shoulder injury he sustained at Mandalika has now officially ruled him out for the rest of the year. Luckily, he’s already been crowned champion, so he can genuinely enjoy his multi-month vacation.
With Marquez out, it really is anyone’s bet. Pecco Bagnaia has gone well here in the past, so if his Ducati can magically work this weekend without getting punctures, he might take the silverware. Quartararo could be good, especially in qualifying and the Sprint Race, but tyre wear problems have made life hard for him during the Main Race.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, apart from that, it could be anyone. Isn’t that great? Enjoy the racing.