WorldWCR Set to Reach New Heights at Portimão this weekend

The WorldWCR Championship fires up for another monumental race weekend, with the iconic Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão setting the scene for Round 3.

Dubbed the hardest circuit on the WorldWCR calendar for its inaugural season, the entry lists have been released which will see 23 females lining up on the grid this weekend, the 9th - 11th August.

Given the difficulties of the 4.653 kilometre race circuit located in Portimão, Algarve region, Portugal, the majority of the [WorldWCR] field has thankfully completed their own private testing at the circuit in the lead-up to Round 3; including Australian rider Tayla Relph.

“We were so fortunate to have had the support of former WorldSBK rider & current rider coach at Bonovo Action BMW supporting us during our test at Portimão a few weeks ago, which accelerated my learning of the difficult circuit,” Relph said.

“We completed the test just a few weeks after Misano, and my shoulder injury sustained after Round 1 (Grade 2 AC Ligament Separation to my right shoulder), was still very much present; So, while I only completed around 40 laps that day due to my shoulder pain, we certainly made the most out of those laps.”

Despite being heavily affected by injury during Portimão testing, the 27-year-old from Warrnambool was still able to complete very competitive lap times.

“It’s nearly impossible to know what the race pace will be, but at the same time we have a rough idea of the lap times that the front 5 racers completed, and I was delightfully surprised that our lap times were pretty well in the ballpark,” Relph said.

Donington Park was a successful comeback for Relph in terms of results with a 9-6 finishing, which now sees the sole Australian rider placed 9th in the World Championship standings.

“On paper, Donington Park was a far better weekend for us and showcased what we were able to achieve on track,

“As well as this, we also learned a lot in terms of what those next steps look like to ensure we consistently stay within that pack to fight for a Top 6 finish; it’s hard in a way to totally change the way I ride, but to extract the most out of the R7, these little 1% changes on the bike are quite literally the difference between a Top 5 finish and falling outside the Top 10,” Relph said.

This Friday will see Free Practice 1 and Qualifying [Superpole] get underway, followed by a warm-up and a 11-lap race on both Saturday and Sunday. Keep scrolling to find out the exact times and how / where to watch.