Ducati rider Philipp Öttl finishes in the top 10 again at the World Superbike Championship in Portimao – GoEleven team praises the German’s positive development
Philipp Öttl had a positive weekend at the World Superbike Championship in Portimao. The German Ducati rider finished just 12.2 seconds behind winner Alvaro Bautista in the second main race. In ninth place, Öttl again collected important points. The GoEleven rider finished the first race in P11 and in the sprint he narrowly missed out on the points in tenth place.
“I’m really happy with the two races on Sunday,” Öttl said happily. “We fought in the top 10 and were close to the guys in front of us. It was a solid weekend all things considered.”
“The team and I worked very well, there were no problems. The winner finished just twelve seconds ahead of us. The level here is incredibly high,” Öttl remarks after his penultimate outing for the GoEleven team.
In Jerez, Öttl says goodbye to the Italian Ducati customer team. “I can’t wait to ride in Jerez. Let’s see what we can do there. The feeling will be completely different to the start of the season. I’m hoping for a really good season finale,” said Öttl.
Praise from the team after critical tones in France
Team manager Denis Sacchetti was critical of Öttl’s duel performance at Magny-Cours, but was full of praise for his rider’s performances at Aragon and Portimao.
“We were able to confirm the progress we made in Aragon. Philipp was able to overtake opponents practically throughout the race and kept up his duels. He was very clever in the duels. We are really happy about the small gap to the winner,” commented the GoEleven team manager.
The team is aiming for a conciliatory end to the two-year collaboration with Öttl: “We want to end the championship in Jerez on a positive note and collect nice memories. We should have fun there because Philipp loves the track and the conditions are good.”
With his recent performances, Öttl recommends himself for another season in the World Superbike Championship. But it is not yet clear whether the German will also find a place for 2024. At Motocorsa, Öttl is a possible candidate to succeed Axel Bassani, who is moving to the Kawasaki factory team.
