Ducati Sporting Club UK > News Items > Ducati Press Releases > The Superbike World Championship lands in Europe. The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team is already at work on the Portimao circuit for the Portuguese WSBK

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World Superbike | 2025 | R2 | Portimao (Portugal) | Thursday 27 March 2025

The Superbike World Championship lands in Europe. The Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team is already at work on the Portimao circuit for the #PortugueseWorldSBK

After the stunning debut weekend in Australia, which included Niccolò Bulega's hat trick and Alvaro Bautista's second-place finish, which completed the 1-2 on Sunday, the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team arrives in Europe, at the Portimao circuit, for the #PortugueseWorldSBK.

Nicolò Bulega will tackle the second round of the 2025 WorldSBK season to maintain his championship lead (26-point lead over his teammate).

Alvaro Bautista is looking to return to victory at the circuit that saw him score a fantastic hat trick in the 2023 season.

Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #11)
"I am happy to race at Portimao on a track I like. We have a lot of work to do because our rivals have proven to be very fast on this circuit. During the last test we gathered important indications but it's clear that we still have to improve a bit. It will be a tough weekend, but the weather will be good: we'll do everything possible to get the best results".

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #19)
"Finally, we are back racing after more than a month of stop. The Portimao track is beautiful but also very difficult regarding bike setup. Last year, we had a good feeling there, and during the weekend in Australia, we found a good base for the bike's set-up. The tests went quite well, even though the weather conditions were not the best. The important thing is to enjoy ourselves, without pressure on the result. We need to focus on the work, including tyre choice".