WorldSBK Estoril: WorldSSP race preview

WorldSSP is at Estoril for the third round of 2022, with all eyes on the rivals aiming to beat the reigning champion.

Since the FIM Supersport World Championship made its debut at the Circuito Estoril, four races have been run with four different winners. Both 2020 winners have moved on to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, while one winner from 2021 has moved on to a different challenge and one remains in the paddock. With the 2022 Estoril Round coming up, the potential for a fifth winner in five races, or maybe a sixth winner in six races, is high in a class that has been thrilling and unpredictable in 2022.

After taking 95 points out of a possible 100 to start the 2022 season, Ten Kate Yamaha’s Dominique Aegerter arrives at Estoril fresh from a win in the MotoE at Le Mans, and with a 30-point lead as his WorldSSP title defence gets off to a near-perfect start. Race two at the Portuguese track in 2021 was the scene of Aegerter’s first Supersport victory and he will be hoping to repeat that success in the face of stiff competition from his rivals as they look to close the gap in the standings.

The two riders closest to Aegerter in the title race, Evan Bros. Yamaha’s Lorenzo Baldassarri and Aruba.it Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega will be tackling Estoril for the first time in WorldSSP, although Baldassarri has experience of the circuit from his Red Bull Rookies Cup campaign where he took two podiums in 2011. Will both be able to close the deficit to Aegerter across the weekend, or will the Swiss come out on top at the place he really came good in 2021?

EAB Racing’s Glenn van Straalen has enjoyed a sensational start to his 2022 campaign and sits fourth in the standings after two rounds. Denied a famous maiden win in