SBK | The pilots return to action after the long summer break

After a good two months of summer break, interspersed with training and private testing with the two days of testing in Portimao at the end of August, the time has come for the riders of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to officially return to action for the Nolan Portuguese Round at the Autodromo do Algarve in Portimao, this weekend.

This period will certainly have served the riders to recharge their batteries in view of the challenging end of the season, even if many have dedicated a good part of their time to training and activities on the track, with a few too many accidents!

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team), Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and WorldSSP rider Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) flew to Japan to race the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Jonathan Rea also enjoyed motocross, boxing and of course with his family.

Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was also supposed to take part in the Suzuka race, but a crash during private testing forced him into a period of forced rest in which he dedicated himself to fishing and surfing.

Staying on the subject of accidents, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) unfortunately suffered an ankle injury in training and spent time with his family.
Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) suffered a double collarbone injury and chose the south of France for his recovery.

Taking a look at colleagues' holidays instead: Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) tried to do some jet skiing in Valencia, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) cycled through the forests of Northern Ireland and supported the brother Michael on the track.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) mountain biked in Trento, flew over Venice in his plane and also showed off his DJ skills.
One of the advantages of a long summer break for riders living on the other side of the world is having time to return home: Tati Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) has dedicated himself to skiing and motocross in Argentina, while Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) took his beloved dirt bike back to California.