Miguel Oliveira: Portimao race ‘the most special moment of the season for me’

The scene of his second MotoGP win with Tech 3 KTM, Miguel Oliveira has high hopes heading into his home round.

The support Oliveira receives in Portugal is huge and with the 29-year-old aboard a very competitive 2024-spec Aprilia, expectations will be high for the Trackhouse Racing rider.

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“The Portuguese GP is the most special moment of the season for me,” said Oliveira. “As a Portuguese rider, to race in my country is, in terms of competition, the highest of emotions.

“My goal is to continue to improve my feeling with the bike and of course to show good speed and be able to compete for good positions on track.”

While this weekend will be a big one for Oliveira, the same can be said for Raul Fernandez albeit for much different reasons.

Fernandez showed more potential than Oliveira during the season-opener, but after an error code cost him the chance to take the race start from his original grid spot, the Spaniard jumped aboard his second bike which had used tyres on it.

Fernandez ultimately retired from the race but wants to show he can be competitive once again.

Fernandez said: “I can’t wait to arrive in Portimao! After the issues we had in Qatar that have been quite frustrating for me, I want to be back on the bike.

“I want to show that I’m competitive and I want to enjoy riding. I think I can do a really good job in Portugal - I like the circuit.

“So, day by day, we need to work on improving to and definitely have a better race than we did at the first round in Qatar.”