At the latest Aragón round, Toba came tantalisingly close to the points zones in both races, which only makes him more determined to reach the top fifteen this coming weekend. Pawi also showed improvement over the course of the weekend at Motorland, while Hakeem focused on getting to grips with a new championship, a new circuit and new tyres. 

As the three riders gear up for this last ‘double-header’, with Estoril coming just one week before the twelfth and final round at Jerez, the goal remains the same: to harness everything they have learned to date and build on previous results. While Toba has knowledge of the Estoril Circuit, having raced there earlier this year though never on Supersport machinery, it is another new circuit for both Pawi and wildcard Hakeem. 

The Estoril Circuit last featured on the WorldSBK calendar in 2022. Measuring 4.182 km in length, it is made up of four left-hand turns and nine right-handers, as well as a very long straight. Only about 30 km from Lisbon, the circuit is situated close to the coastal town of Estoril. 

Kaito Toba 

“I raced at Estoril at the beginning of the year in Moto2, and that was my first time there. I think the weather will play a huge part this weekend, since it’s very changeable in Portugal. I’m coming straight from a test in Japan, and we got a couple of ideas for the bike while riding there. I’m hoping we get some dry time so we can try these options over the course of the weekend.” 

Khairul Idham Pawi 

“We want to try and have a solid last couple of rounds after a few challenging race weekends. It will be my first visit to Estoril though, so it won’t be easy, but I hope I can understand the track fast. I will work as hard as I can to score good results, aiming for the points zone if possible. Let’s see what we can do.” 

Azroy Hakeem 

“I want to thank the team for giving me another opportunity to compete in WorldSSP. I learned a lot during the Aragón weekend, which was my first ever experience of this championship, and so the aim will be to build on the work we did in Spain and see if I can make progress over the course of the weekend. This will be my very first visit to Estoril, so I hope to quickly adapt to the track.” 

Track Information: 

Country: Portugal
Name: Circuito Estoril
Length: 4.182 km
Pole position: left 

Corners: 4 left-hand, 9 right-hand 

SSP RECORDS: Best lap – Vinales (Yamaha) 1'40.053 (2020). Superpole – Aegerter (Yamaha) 1’39.046 (2022). 

2022 SSP RESULTS: 

Race 1 - 1. Aegerter (Yamaha); 2. Baldassarri (Yamaha); 3. Bulega (Ducati) 

Race 2 – 1. Aegerter (Yamaha); 2. Smith (Yamaha); 3. Baldassarri (Yamaha)