2025 Portimao World Superbike Test - As It Happened
Live coverage of the in-season Portimao World Superbike test.
WorldSBK returns to Portimao this week for its first in-season test of 2025, two weeks ahead of the race at the Portuguese venue at the end of March.
The track will be open from 10:00 local time until 18:00 local time.
The chequered flag is out in Portimao and it's Toprak Razgatlioglu who ends the day fastest, ahead of Nicolo Bulega and Andrea Locatelli.
We're at 5pm local time now in Portimao, but still 15 minutes on the clock.
Razgatlioglu still leads Bulega, Vierge third for Honda.
Razgatlioglu has dropped into the 1:40s now. Bulega up to second, also, but 0.625s behind.
Worth pointing out as well that the session has been shortened from eight hours to seven, and will finish at 17:00 as originally planned despite the start being delayed to 10:00.
Approaching the final hour now, and Razgatlioglu is back at the top of the times.
He, Gardner, Bulega, Alex Lowes, Bassani, and Petrucci all in the 1:41s now.
A bit of change at the top in the past few minutes. Alex Lowes now fastest on a 1:42.054, Razgatlioglu second on a 1:42.353, and Andrea Locatelli rounding out the top three with a 1:42.444.
Danilo Petrucci gets to within a tenth of Razgatlioglu at a 1:42.459 and moves into second with his first lap.
Toprak Razgatlioglu has taken over at the top now. A 1:42.428 put shim 0.365s clear of Gardner on his third lap.
Gardner faster again: a 1:42.861 increases his advantage to over half-a-second over Vierge.
Probably worth pointing out now that the race lap record is a 1:39.826, and the all-time lap record is a 1:39.610.
Gardner's dropped his fastest time to a 1:43.230. Alex Lowes into the 43s now, too, in third place.
Three riders now have joined Gardner in the 1:43s: Vierge, Sam Lowes, and Locatelli.
Already much more activity this afternoon.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was unhappy with his BMW at the first 2025 WorldSBK race round.
He hasn't been able to get much testing work done so far today due to the drying track.
BMW test riders Markus Reiterberger and Sylvain Guintoli are in action, too.
Razgatlioglu will hope they come up with an answer before the next race.
A few more riders have headed out. Both factory Yamahas - Andrea Locatelli and Augusto Fernandez - and Sam Lowes have all set times now, as has Tarran Mackenzie. Still Gardner fastest, though, on that 1:43.830.
Yamaha's Remy Gardner sits top of the timesheet at the half-way stage of Friday.
But it's not been an ideal morning of running for the WorldSBK teams due to a wet track.
The track is finally starting to dry out now in Portimao. Remy Gardner is now fastest on a 1:43.830, but everyone is now back in pit lane as we approach the final four hours.
Sylvain Guintoli pops BMW on the timesheets, but it was an out lap only for the Frenchman, no timed lap.
Just over five hours to go in Portimao and this is feeling quite familiar by now.
Fores still fastest on a 1:59.680, and Nagashima still the only other rider to have been out on track.
We're almost at the end of the first hour now, and it's still only Nagashima and Fores who have been out, although the Japanese rider has also been out on his second bike.
It's still Fores who's fastest, though, and still with that 1:59.680.
After those early laps from Fores and Nagashima, they're both back in the pits now, as is everyone else.
Welcome to live coverage of the opening day of this weekend's WorldSBK test at Portimao.
We're slightly behind schedule today: the test was due to begin at 09:00 local time, but because of overnight rain leaving the track wet ther was no running in the first hour, and so the clock was reset.
The test will now run until 18:00 local time.
Currently, Bimota test rider Xavi Fores is fastest with a 1:59.680 ahead of Honda test rider Tetsuta Nagashima - those are the only two riders to have set a lap time so far, and quite a way off dry pace.
