Motorsport Magazine
Superbike ·
Torres wins the historic Race 1 of the World Sportbike 2026 at Portimão ahead of Salvador and Fleerackers. Race interrupted and a photo finish at the end.
Ultimogiro Newsroom · 28 March 2026 · 2 min read
World Sportbike writes the first page of its history at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Saturday at the Portuguese round delivers an intense race, broken up and fought until the very last metre, with Antonio Torres the first outright winner of the new category.
It is a victory destined to remain in the records: Antonio Torres takes the Kawasaki of the Prodina team to the top step of the podium, becoming the first leader in World Sportbike history.
The Spaniard built the success with intelligence and timing, always staying in the leading group and striking at the decisive moment, without ever exposing himself unnecessarily.
The race was anything but straightforward. After the opening stages, race control was forced to show the red flag because of the track conditions.
At the restart, the race turned into a true sprint race: few laps, extremely high pace and zero margin for error. A situation that brought out the riders' aggression and completely reshuffled the pack.
In the closing stages, the battle turned into a very tight head-to-head between Torres and team-mate David Salvador.
The two fought for victory right up to the last corner, using every slipstream and every smallest available gap. Torres came out on top by a handful of metres, with a decisive overtake in the very last moments: a photo finish that thrilled the Portimão crowd.
Behind the Kawasaki duo, Ferre Fleerackers stood out, author of a solid and intelligent race.
The Belgian secures a strong third place, giving Suzuki an important podium in the opening race of the championship. Always in the leading group, Fleerackers knew how to avoid mistakes and make the most of the battle ahead of him.
A difficult weekend instead for Mattia Vannucci, one of the most eagerly anticipated riders ahead of the race.
The Italian never managed to find the right rhythm and endured a complicated race, far from the positions that matter. Between technical difficulties and less-than-ideal race management, the final result was well below expectations.
With today's success, Torres moves to the top of the overall standings, followed by Salvador and Fleerackers.
Gaps are still small, but it is an early clear sign: the fight for the title will be tight and open to multiple protagonists.
The World Sportbike debut did not disappoint. On the contrary, it confirmed all expectations:
compact group
constant overtakes
technical balance
Up to eight riders fighting in the decisive phases are the clearest sign of a category designed for spectacle.
Portimão, with its technical and spectacular layout, provided the ideal stage. But the message is already clear: in this championship, winning will always be a matter of details.
And after a Saturday like that, Sunday promises more sparks.
Next story
Superbike ·
Nicolò Bulega wins Race 2 at Misano and completes a perfect hat-trick in the Emilia-Romagna Round of Superbike 2026. Ducati dominates in front of the Italian fans and the World Championship now seems to be in the hands of the rider from Emilia.
Superbike ·
Superbike ·
Superbike ·
Superbike ·
Superbike ·
Superbike ·