MIE Racing Althea Honda all set for Portimão this weekend

Michelle Liew

August 8, 2020

Having completed the first of the Superbike free practise sessions, the riders are ready to tackle the third WorldSBK championship round.

MIE Racing Althea Honda Team | Takumi Takahashi | Photo credits: Honda

MIE Racing Althea Honda Team riders Takumi Takahashi and Lorenzo Gabellini will be back on track at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal this weekend.

Both the MIE Racing Althea Honda riders worked hard with their respective teams. The key here is to adapt their riding style and their CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP bikes to the challenging Portuguese track layout.

By the end of day one, Takahashi had completed the fastest lap in 1’45.225 to position twenty-first in the combined standings. On the other hand, Gabellini took a step forward in the second session, improving on his earlier reference to set a 1’47.365 and place twenty-third.

Takumi Takahashi (MIE Racing Althea Honda)- As It Happened

“Today I focused on getting into the right rhythm and finding good feeling with my bike at this track. We had a good start in the morning but a bit of a tough afternoon, perhaps due to the higher temperatures and the lack of grip. Anyway, there’s clear room for improvement so I’ll be doing my best to make the most of tomorrow morning’s final practice, in the hope I can take a step forward as we prepare for Superpole and then race 1.”

Lorenzo Gabellini (MIE Racing Althea Honda)- As It Happened

“It’s a very difficult track, very technical. The fact that it’s all-new for me here doesn’t help when others know the place so well of course. There’s a lot to learn, as I need to understand the right trajectories, there are blind points which are tricky, as are the potholes, the undulation. With each exit I make, I am trying to learn how best to ride, which lines to take, but guess I need a little time as I haven’t found the right feeling with the bike yet.”