Bonovo action BMW’s Eugene Laverty is ready to race on home soil this weekend as WorldSBK arrives in Portugal.

With the Northern Irishman living on the Algarve for the past few years and set to hang up his racing leathers at the end of the 2022 season, Portimao heralds an important race for the number 50.

A top ten finish at Catalunya sees Laverty motivated for more this weekend as he looks to go out on a high during his final races in Europe.

“The track in Portimao has always been something special for me,” Laverty explained. “I have won there with Supersport and Superbike and now I live nearby, so it is really a home race.

“Most recently in Catalunya I was pleased to return to the top ten and I will be aiming to do so again in Portimao. From a riders point of view we all love these naturally hilly courses and Portimao is just that, a real rollercoaster.

“In practice we plan to improve our pure pace, because in Superpole that is what I have been lacking lately. If we can qualify better, that will put us well in the middle from the start of the race.”