Circuito Estoril provided the classic backdrop for the penultimate WorldSSP300 race in history - not just the 2025 season - as this category of racing will be replaced with a higher capacity spectrum World Sportbike class from 2026 on.
In Superpole Qualifying at the 4.218 km long circuit, which is located a short distance from the capital city of Lisbon, there was an unusually high spread of personal best lap times. This was especially peculiar at a circuit where the WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders had been incredibly closely packed together, behind the clear two or three fastest riders.
Top Kawasaki competitor in Superpole was a returnee to the MTM fold, Loris Veneman, in second place. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki) was third and title-fighter David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki) fourth. Thompson was in seventh place and Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (ZAPPAS Deza - Box77 Racing Kawasaki) tenth after the first race grid places had been allocated.
As ever, Kawasaki provided the bulk of the machines on the starting grid, with 16 Ninja 400 riders in all from 34 Estoril entrants.
In Race One four Kawasakis, one Yamaha and one Kove battled it out on lap one. On the final lap Yamaha rider and Superpole winner Matteo Vannucci crossed the line with a slender 0.304-second lead over the chasing Thompson. Veneman passed Championship leader Beñat Fernandez over the line, ensuring both MTM Kawasaki riders would finish on the podium.
The moves out of the final corner and onto the main straight from the MTM duo were important to keep the championship hopes alive for Thompson, and even for other Kawasaki riders Salvador and Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport) who were still in the running.
Salvador was fifth in the opening race, and Torres sixth. The top six riders crossed the line within 0.642 seconds of each other.
Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing Kawasaki) was the next best Race One finisher for Kawasaki, in eighth place, but he was dropped one position from where he crossed the finish line for exceeding track limits on the final lap.
Roberto Fernandez (Kawasaki Junior Team by MTM) was the final Ninja 400 rider inside the top ten places, making it six Kawasakis inside the top ten.
With the fastest laps of each rider being the determining factor in their grid positions for the second race of the weekend, the fastest nine riders from the first race occupied the front row for Sunday’s race.
Veneman was second quickest, and this started him second on the grid for Race Two. Torres was fourth, Garcia fifth, Roberto Fernandez sixth and Salvador seventh. Thompson was a disadvantaged tenth on the Race Two starting grid.
At the start of Race Two Roberto Fernandez was an early faller, and first lap leader Veneman would also crash out with eight laps to go. Loris would restart to finish in 22nd position.
On the final lap there was a remarkably close and tight fight for track positions before the last blast down the long front straight. Riders took some corners three abreast, with the usual frantic passing and re-passing continuing all the way to the line.
A superbly well-timed attack from Thompson on the Kove of Fernandez saw the Kawasaki rider win his third race of the year, but this time around by only 0.010 seconds. He had led seven times across the finish line in the 12-lap race.
A fantastically aggressive late race push from proven WorldSSP300 race winner of recent times, Mogeda, put him third in the final Estoril race.
Prodina double act Salvador and Torres were fourth and fifth, with Osuna Saez eighth. Those top eight riders were covered by just 0.630 seconds at the flag, in what was a typically epic WorldSSP300 finish.
Osuna Saez set a new fastest race lap for this class, with a 1’49.791 on lap five. Salvador took the new track best record, however, set in the morning warm-up, with a 1’49.516. These records will, of course, remain for all time, as WorldSSP300 will cease to be at the end of this season.
In the Rider’s Championship, with one round and two individual races remaining, there are a maximum of 50 points up for grabs for any rider who wins both times out in Jerez.
The Championship fight closed up once again after the results of the two Estoril races. Beñat Fernandez still leads the championship, but by just ten points from Thompson, 205-195. Salvador is still very much in the hunt despite being 22 points behind the lead now. Race One winner is fourth, with 159 points, and is still in the championship fight.
The very last races in WorldSSP300, just one week from now, may well be some of the most epic battles in the already storied history of this smallest capacity FIM World Championship, given what is still at stake.
As mentioned already, Kawasaki won the Manufacturer’s Championship after Race Two at Estoril. Four riders have won at least one race in 2025 on the Ninja 400 - Thompson, Garcia, Salvador and Veneman.
In the Team’s Championship, Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki leads MTM Kawasaki by just 12 points.
The final round in WorldSSP300’s intense history will take place between 17-19 October, at the modern classic circuit of Jerez, in Spain. Given the results at Estoril, there is still much to play for at the final round, before the class is superseded by another exciting new category within the overall WorldSBK paddock.
Rider Comments
Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki), stated: “It was a great first race and I am very happy with the result. The team has worked great all weekend to this point to get the bike working well. It has been a great weekend with a second and a first-place finish. I am very happy with the result and we scored very good points in the championship. It is nice and close now, only ten points. We made great progress with the bike all the way through. Now we just have to focus on Jerez and keep going, focusing on scoring good points. We have closed the gap to keep it alive for the final two races and hopefully come out on top. It’s full focus for Jerez now.”
Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), stated: “Race One was more difficult than I expected. I struggled quite a lot in the middle of the race. At the end, I could get myself together and give it my all to go for the podium position. On the last straight, it came out a bit unfortunate for me as I was side-by-side with Fernandez and then Carter came past us on the straight. But it’s still a podium, so I am still pretty happy with that.”
David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki), stated: “It was a somewhat strange and certainly complicated race. We struggled in some sections, so I can't say I'm satisfied with today's result. However, we're working in the right direction. It was a tough race on Sunday. In the end, I was left with the thought that I didn't really give my best in the last two laps today, but I had the right mentality to push to the end, and I did my best. Now we look to Jerez with confidence, knowing that there are fifty points up for grabs and that we can fight until the end. We just need to stay focused.”
Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing Kawasaki), stated: “Race Two was very difficult, like all the races of the 300 Championship. But I was able to overtake other riders and give 100%. To be a warrior on track is the most difficult thing to be in WorldSSP300, because there are so many riders and you have to keep a good mindset. My last podium was Assen, so this is very special, because I am working a lot with the team and we are progressing race to race. To return to the top three is special because we can see that the project is growing up.”
Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki), stated: "We finished the first race of the weekend on a positive note, because we remained in contention for the win until the very end. However, it was very challenging; our rivals had an edge in certain areas, and in this category, every detail really makes a difference. In any case, I'm satisfied that we fought until the end, which is what really matters. We finished the weekend at Estoril with positive feelings. I'm satisfied with the work we did; it was a truly constructive weekend where we gave it our all in both races, focusing on what really mattered. Now we return to Jerez with the desire to continue improving. We'll be home, ready to work with the team again.”
Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport), stated: “It was a rather difficult race on Sunday because the pace was very high from the first lap and the opponents pushed really hard. Despite this, I felt quite comfortable on the bike and we gathered important information to improve. I felt good at the start of the race, but then I had some physical difficulties that prevented me from finishing. I hope to regain better condition soon and return to the results we achieved in the first part of the season.”
Steve Guttridge - KME Race Planning Manager, stated: “To secure yet another title - and this time, the final and ultimate WSS300 Manufacturer's Title as Kawasaki - is truly historic. Once again, we have to thank our fantastically competitive and dedicated teams and riders, who, along with our Ninja machinery, have proven over multiple seasons to be an unbeatable combination!”
#NinjaSpirit