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SBK Estoril 2020: Schedules, favorites and where to watch the races live
SBK Estoril 2020: Schedules, favorites and where to watch the races live

Video: SBK Estoril 2020: Schedules, favorites and where to watch the races live

Video: SBK Estoril 2020: Schedules, favorites and where to watch the races live
Video: WorldSBK Race 1 Highlights | 2022 Estoril Round 2024, March
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The World Superbike Championship reaches its decisive round in Portugal. Estoril will decide who will be the 2020 world champion with Jonathan Rea as a big favorite for the title. Only a catastrophe would prevent the sixth coronation of the Kawasaki racer as the king of series-derived motorcycles.

Rea arrives with 59 points of advantage over Scott Redding with only 62 remaining in Game. In other words, it would be enough for the champion to add three more points to revalidate the title. Finishing thirteenth in one of the two long races will be enough. It is a mere procedure from which only an injury could separate you.

Rea is very on track for his title, but there will be a fight between Kawasaki and Ducati for the other two

Rea France Sbk 2020
Rea France Sbk 2020

Estoril makes its debut in the Superbike World Championship in this strange 2020 so there are no clear references on which bike could be better. Riders with a past in the MotoGP World Championship could have some advantage because they already know the layout, which was present until the 2012 season in the championship.

This directly affects Scott Redding, who ran five races at Estoril but never made the podium. The best thing he did was a fourth place. It was better to Álvaro Bautista, who had quite an affinity with Estoril. Won three races there consecutively between the 2006 and 2008 seasons, the first in 125 cc and the other two in 250 cc.

Redding Magny Cours Sbk 2020
Redding Magny Cours Sbk 2020

Also, the Estoril setup could be favorable for both Redding's and Bautista's bikes. The Portuguese track has a long straight and other quite important intermediates in which both the Ducati Panigale V4 R like the Honda CBR1000RR-R could exploit its speed tip.

But we must not forget Jonathan Rea, who will come very motivated, with more objectives than to seal the title. On the one hand, he will want to win at a new circuit to add him to the list. In addition, if he gets one more win, he will be the 100th since he has ridden in Superbikes. A historical figure to celebrate a championship.

Van Der Mark France Sbk 2020
Van Der Mark France Sbk 2020

At the level of talent and rapport with these bikes, it is difficult to doubt that Rea is number one on the grid, so it is to be expected that his ability to adapt to Estoril will be great. Furthermore, even though the circuit has straights, almost all of them are preceded by quite fast corners, so you won't suffer as much from the acceleration of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

Tighter than the fight for the drivers' title promises to be that of brands and that of equipment. In both Kawasaki commands, but has Ducati very close. 26 points is the difference in the world of brands, while in that of structures it is 16. Redding and Chaz Davies, and also Michael Ruben Rinaldi, will have to give everything to at least rescue these titles.

Baptist France Sbk 2020
Baptist France Sbk 2020

As to Yamaha, Estoril will be the farewell of Michael van der Mark from the brand. The Dutchman, once again, is going to finish as Iwata's best driver without making much noise. He will want to say goodbye in style in Estoril, where Toprak Razgatlioglu will try to find himself after a season finale to forget.

Precisely the brand in which van der Mark will land will be BMW. In Magny-Cours they went from glory to disaster in a few hours, and in Estoril they are going to say goodbye to this bike. In 2021 they will be presented with the new BMW M 1000 RR with which they want to definitively assault the Superbike podiums.

A cool weekend is expected but without rain

Laverty Sykes France Sbk 2020
Laverty Sykes France Sbk 2020

Going to the way to follow the races, DAZN continues to be the holder of the broadcasting rights of the World Superbike Championship. But there are other alternatives. Eurosport will always broadcast the races live on its online platform, although it will sometimes be delayed on analogue channels.

RTVE also owns part of the rights, but they will only broadcast some live sessions. LaLigaSporstsTV, TV3 and the Superbikes videopass are other options to follow the races online. The hours will be the usual European and it is expected a weekend are incidence of rain.

Schedules SBK Estoril 2020

    Friday 16th

    • FP1 SBK: 11:30 (DAZN)
    • FP2 SBK: 16:00 (DAZN)

    Saturday 17

    • FP3 SBK: 10:00 (DAZN)
    • Superpole SBK: 12:00 (DAZN)
    • First SBK race: 15:00 (DAZN, Esport 3, Eurosport, Teledeporte)
    • First SSP race: 16:15 (DAZN, Esport 3, Teledeporte)
    • SSP300 first race: 17:30 (DAZN, Esport 3, Teledeporte)

    Sunday 18th

    • WUP SBK: 10:00
    • Superpole Race SBK: 12:00 (DAZN, Esport 3, Eurosport, Teledeporte)
    • Second SSP race: 13:30 (DAZN, Esport 3, Teledeporte)
    • Second SBK race: 15:00 (DAZN, Esport 3, Eurosport, Teledeporte)
    • Second race SSP 300: 16:15 (DAZN, Esport 3, Teledeporte)

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