The Circuito Estoril opened its doors this Saturday, April 27th, for the start of the 2024 season of the Campeonato Nacional Velocidade (Motorcycle). With unstable weather and after a morning of rain, the sun was present and the Estoril route was the stage for the first fights of the season with new features in some categories.
On the track, the renewed squads in the TLC Trophy, Naked Bikes, Moto4, Moto5, COPA MOTOVAL (CDM1, CDM2), SBK1000, STK600, PREMOTO3 and SSP300 categories. Of note for 2024 is the arrival at the CNV of female faces with Carolina Azevedo, Carlota Carochinho and Lara Pinto taking part in the Moto5 and Rafaela Peixoto in the SSP 300. After a morning dedicated to the final adjustments and tests in free practice, the early afternoon dictated the first qualifications of the various categories, in which the first disputes began to be defined.
TROFÉU TLC / NAKED BIKES – Frédèric Bottoglieri opens 2024 with victory
Photo: Pedro MF Mestre | AMMA Magazine
For 2024, the TLC/Naked Bikes Trophy features a field of 12 riders divided across 3 classes (NB1; NB2, LC Open). With 1:50.456, Frédèric Bottoglieri took his Triumph ST765 RS to Pole Position, also being first in the NB2. At his side is Luís Franco’s BMWS1000R, the fastest among the NB1. Closing the front row of the grid, Romain Berton. Fernando Mercier – the only driver in the LC Open – set the 11th time. Continuing the qualifying result, Bottoglieri set his pace and would finish as he started, at the front, having led from the 1st to the last lap. The fight focused on defining the next three positions, with Luís Franco, Marcos Leal and Romain Berton maintaining a lively fight. With some changes of position in the first 4 of 10 laps around Estoril, the trio kept the public and teams in anticipation with Luís Franco taking over that lap and definitively 2nd place overall, following behind Bottogliere. Leal and Berton continued to fight for the lowest spot on the podium.
In chess, Bottogliere won overall, also being 1st among the NB2 men, with more 1s over Duarte Amaral who, in addition to the intermediate place, also secured 1st place among the NB1. 3rd place overall would go to Luís Franco, not far from Amaral but more than 2s from Botoglierie. Franco would be 2nd among the NB1.
Closing the TOP5 are Romain Berton and Miguel Sousa, respectively. Racing alone, Fernando Mercier – the only driver in the LC Open – finished his first race of the year in 11th position.
85GP / MOTO4 / MIR MOTO5 – Dominant Cabá, sets best time, Pole and victory
Photo: Ruben Monteiro
With 9 riders spread across two classes (MOTO5, MIR MOTO5), forming this peloton, it was no surprise that the young rider from Team Moto Clube Loulé, Alexandre Cabá demonstrated his already recognized dominance. Racing alone in the MOTO5 class, Cabá set the fastest lap in the timed races that guaranteed him Pole Position. With a perfect start and profound knowledge of the Estoril route, Cabá led from the 1st to the last lap, leaving the others to fight for the next places.
In a separate race, and with a significant 46s advantage, Cabá scored his first victory of the season and demonstrated that he is in full shape and fully focused for 2024. Having determined that he was in the lead early on, the excitement centered among the 8 drivers of MOTO4, in which, and in the women’s category, three young promises from the Escola Iniciação Moto Racing Sintra line up this season, Carolina Azevedo, Carlota Carochinho and Lara Pinto. Without much of a fight between them, Lourenço Vicente, Henrique Vicente and Tomás Carneiro rode calmly with some difference in times between them.
At the finish line, the remaining podium places would go to Lourenço Vicente and Henrique Vicente. The TOP5 would be completed by Tomás Carneiro and newcomer Carlota Carochinho.
COPA DUNLOP MOTOVAL – Rafael Ribeiro takes over the expenses in the 1st race of the season
Photo: Pedro MF Mestre | AMMA Magazine
The third race of the afternoon’s sports program was reserved for the 13 COPA DUNLOP MOTOVAL drivers divided into the CDM1 and CDM2 classes. Once the results of the 3 Superpoles were decided, it would be Ricardo Rodrigues with his R6 taking the first position on the grid. By his side Rafael Ribeiro and Daniel Coelho, all CDM2. First among CDM1 and 4th on the grid, Wagne Pederneira. Green traffic light and a closely contested match with Rodrigues making the first arguments against Rafael Ribeiro. The first time he passed through the emblematic Estoril portico, Ribeiro took the lead and denied Rodrigues for a direct fight with Rui Palma who, having left 8th place on the grid, quickly moved up positions to join the fight for the top places.
Rodrigues would not leave the top position until the end of the 10 laps scheduled for the first race of the COPA DUNLOP MOTOVAL, achieving his first victory of the season and also being 1st among the CDM2. More than 6 seconds later and only after an intense fight on laps 7 and 8, Rui Palma, after the aforementioned strong start to the start, celebrated 2nd position overall and was also 2nd in CDM2. Without “throwing in the towel” but more than 3s behind Palma, the lowest on the podium and 3rd also among the CDM2, would be for Daniel Coelho.
Among the CDM1 drivers, Ricardo Rodrigues won and was 4th overall, Vitor Silva and Tiago Pires were respectively 2nd and 3rd among the CDM1, taking 10th and 11th places overall.
SUPERBIKES / STK600 – 1st race of the season at SBK for Ricardo Lopes.
Photo: Pedro MF Mestre | AMMA Magazine
Open track for the formation of the Superbike grid (with 4 registered riders), and STK60 (with 10 registered riders). The Pole Position. For the first clash of the season it would be in the hands of Miguel Romão who completed the fastest lap at Estoril with his R1 in 1:43.617s, also being the strongest among SBK. By his side Ricardo Lopes and Ruben Macuá. Among the STK600, the highlight was Gonçalo Capote, who took his R6 to 4th place on the grid, followed by Gonçalo Ribeiro and Alessio Guarnieri, who were 5th and 6th respectively.
Clean start with the SBK men – Romão, Lopes and Macuá – immediately changing positions during the 1st lap. At the start of the 2nd lap, Lopes would take the lead with Macuá on his tail and Romão waiting. Without much surprise, the Lopes duo, Macuá maintained the intense and lively fight in the first 5 laps, at which point Miguel Romão went on the attack, taking 2nd position. Even though he had the best lap of the race, Romão was unable to beat his rival Ricardo Lopes and would be 2nd overall at the checkered flag.
Therefore, Lopes wins overall, being 1st in SBK and leaves good indications for Sunday. Miguel Romão was in the middle of the podium with a distant Ruben Macuá (more than 25s behind the winner) in 3rd. This was also the final classification among the brave SBK riders.
With regard to the STK600, Gonçalo Ribeiro, Gonçalo Capote and Rodrigo Valente maintained a lively fight until the end, being 4th, 5th and 6th overall and making up the TOP3 of the STK600.
SSP300 / PREMOTO3 – Tomás Alonso guarantees victory in the SSP300.
Photo: Ruben Monteiro
In what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive categories of 2024, and also with new features in the women’s category with the arrival of newcomer Rafaela Peixoto, the last race of the day was for the SSP300 and PREMOTO3. Composite grid with Tomás Alonso taking pole position, alongside Martim Jesus and Dinis Borges on the front row, who are also the strongest among the SSP300. In PREMOTO3, Vasco Fonseca set his pace, being 8th on the grid with Tiago João in 12th and Frederico Guimarães in 13th.
With the fight open and with a clear track for the 14 laps of the Estoril circuit, the fight focused on the front with Tomás Alonso, Martim Jesus, Uriel Hidalgo (who came from 4th place on the grid) and Dinis Borges trying to define the lead among themselves. . Alonso stood out and managed to open a comfortable advantage that allowed him to manage the race until the end, winning with more than 5 seconds of advantage over Jesus, Hidalgo and Borges. The real uncertainty was in this trio, from which Martim Jesus would emerge stronger in a hard-fought decision over the finish line. Jesus took the middle position on the podium, 5.318s behind the winner, but with Hidalgo at 0.022s and Borges at 0.129s. Tomás Marin and Vasco Camoesas closed the TOP5.
In the PREMOTO3 squad, Vasco Fonseca, 8th overall, would be the strongest with Tiago Martins (10th) and Frederico Guimarães (12th) signing the first TOP3 of the season.
Circuito Estoril