Medical verdict given on three WorldSBK riders ahead of Portugal race

Three WorldSBK riders have been declared fit ahead of the second round of the 2026 season in Portugal.

This weekend’s (27–29 March) Portimao race comes over a month after the opening round of the 2026 season in Australia.

It was a round which ended with two riders declared unfit after crashes in the wet Race 2.

One was Sam Lowes, who suffered a left wrist fracture when he crashed at turn three in Race 2. He also suffered contusions in his right hand and left ankle.

Mattia Rato was the other rider to be declared unfit after Race 2 at Phillip Island, suffering a right shoulder contusion.

Both Lowes and Rato have been declared fit for the Portuguese Round after medical checks this morning (26 March).

The third rider to be declared fit ahead of the Portuguese Round is Somkiat Chantra, who is set to take part in his first World Superbike round this weekend in the Algarve.

Chantra was due initially to debut in Australia, of course, but he was forced to miss the opening round due to arm fractures he sustained at Sepang in January.

The Thai rider has said that he was able to ride consistently before heading to Portugal on his CBR600RR training bike, and he also rode at the Portimao test earlier this month on 9–10 March.

Chantra will be alongside Jonathan Rea in the factory Honda garage this weekend as the six-time champion, too, makes his race debut on the CBR1000RR-R. Rea is replacing Jake Dixon, who remains unfit to ride after his wrist injuries sustained during testing in Australia.

Dixon was able to provide a positive update on his condition before the Portuguese Round and confirmed that he will be in Portimao with the team.