The Portuguese rider Miguel Praia returns this weekend racing at the Autódromo do Algarve, which he knows so well, taking a short break from his participation in the «Moto 1000 GP» Championship in Brazil.
On a Honda CBR 600RR motorcycle, at the service of the Italian team Lorini Honda, which competes in the Supersport category, Miguel Praia wants to «put the bike in the points, something the team has hardly done in recent times», said the rider yesterday, during a visit to the Portimão Museum.
“This year I'm a little better compared to 2012 in physical terms. Last year, I trained intensely, but I lacked race pace, something that I feel this year is better, due to the races I've been doing in Brazil. So I'm more confident, but the Supersport class is very competitive and half a second can be worth a lot of places on the starting grid or in the race, so I don't want to set very ambitious goals right now. I want to manage the weekend session after session and only at the end of qualifying think about what I can really aspire to in terms of the race», said the driver from Albufeira.
In Brazil, in the «Moto 1000 GP», Praia explained, it is «another panorama, other events and another level of competition». The championship in which the Portuguese participates has "seven foreigners on the starting grid", being already "the most important championship in Brazil and South America", almost a kind of "world championship".
Despite his Honda being «a bike with which it is difficult to win races», Miguel Praia notes with satisfaction that «we have already started to put the bike in the first places». But the pilot clarifies that his presence in the strong Brazilian championship, an invitation that came from being the Honda ambassador in Portugal, «is much more than driving. It is mainly to participate in the development of the sport in Brazil».
The experience, he guaranteed, is being very positive, especially because «the level of competition is very strong and the organization is very good».
Pilots, catapalanas and a “starred” chef
But what was Miguel Praia doing at the Portimão Museum? He was one of eight riders – six of Superbikes and two of Supersports – who learned yesterday afternoon, in the outer space of the Museum, with the Rio Arade as a backdrop, with the “starred” chef Hans Neuner, from Restaurante Ocean, at Vila Vita Parc Resort & Spa (2 Michelin stars), making a cataplana.
The pilots of Superbike Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team), Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team), Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team), Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki) and Carlos Checa (Team Ducati Alstare ), as well as Miguel Praia (Team Lorini Honda) and Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport), in the Supersport category.
The pilots had fun, cutting peppers of various colors, onions and fine coriander, under the watchful eyes of Hans Neuner and his assistant chefs. “You have to cut this into very thin strips quickly,” Neuner explained to Carlos Checa. "Quickly? But look, I need my fingers!», replied the Team Ducati Alstare pilot, in good spirits.
In the end, no one cut fingers, but for the tasting, what paid off was the cataplana that the assistant chefs prepared, there for all to see. The food, which smelled very good, was served in micro cataplanas and everyone enjoyed it.
Among the people who joined the party, there was a group of Irish people in a good mood, who took the opportunity to taste the good white wine and cataplana, which they found «simply delicious».
During the photo shoot, one of the Irish ladies didn't shy away from making fluffs to the good-looking chef Hans Neuner, saying "I ate it!" Neuner, who at that time was posing for photos with Miguel Praia almost beside the lady, even blushed slightly…
Lightning visit to the Portimão Museum
After the haute cuisine lesson and the tasting, and with many photos in between, the group of eight pilots, companions and journalists then entered the Portimão Museum, for a super quick visit…and more photographs. Of the whole group, the one who was truly interested in what he was seeing was Carlos Checa, who asked some questions and, at the end, commented: “what a beautiful Museum!”.
During the lightning visit, somewhat chaotic, there was even time for games, with one of the pilots trying to put another in the baby bed of the old nursery of the cannery that gave rise to the Museum…the staff smiled grimly at the joke, already that the fragile cradle is an important part of the Museum. But everything went well.
The group of riders then went to the Continente Shopping Center in Portimão for an autograph session, which was attended by hundreds of fans.
The Portuguese Miguel Praia received a lot of support from the hundreds of Portuguese who flocked to the autograph session and in the end even revealed that, in addition to the great support he always received at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, he also hopes that «the Portuguese will be intensely present on the bench . There are many who love motorcycling in our country and I sincerely hope that the stands are full this weekend. It will be an extra motivation, not just for me, but for all the drivers in the championship».
From today until Sunday, the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve receives proof of the Superbike World Championship, as well as other parallel competitions, namely the Supersport, where Miguel Praia participates.
The Algarve hosts the sixth round of the World Superbike Championship, with fifteen stages, in what is the biggest international motorcycling event to take place in Portugal in 2013.
This is the sixth consecutive time that the Portimonense track receives the race, where there will be competition, in addition to Superbikes, motorcycles from the SuperSport, SuperStock100 and SuperStock600 categories.
Veja here more pictures.
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