Miguel Oliveira, the young Portuguese Moto2 rider who, last season, was world runner-up, is Parkalgar Racing Team's big surprise for the 12 Hours of Portimão, the World Endurance race that, between the 10th and June 12, will compete at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
A Miguel Oliveira Another Miguel joins, Praia, as announced by Parkalgar this Sunday, at the Algarve Tourism Board space on the BTL-Bolsa de Turismo de Lisboa.
Driving a Yamaha R1M with Superbike specifications – the maximum category of the Endurance World Championship – the two Portuguese speed riders with more extensive history will discuss the victory in what will be the first race of this championship to be held at the Portimão circuit.
“It will be a unique opportunity for everyone to see, side by side and on the same track, Miguel Praia and Miguel Oliveira, in a unique event in Portugal. This meeting will only take place this weekend and will be, without question, a unique opportunity for the fans of both drivers to see them in action in Portugal”, said Paulo Pinheiro, the responsible for the team, which will be like a national team with its two top exponents.
For Miguel Praia, this opportunity to have Miguel Oliveira as a running mate actually meant putting sports reform aside for a while and training again for a unique event.
“I couldn't say no to this opportunity. Being able to race alongside Miguel, with the same objective, is without a doubt a unique moment”, said the Algarve driver.
“My experience, together with the speed we all know he has, will certainly be a strong argument for us to discuss the victory in this race, where we will be driving a Superbike and not a Superstock, as originally scheduled” he said. Miguel Praia, the only rider present at the presentation ceremony, as Miguel Oliveira is undergoing finger treatments, still recovering after a crash while testing at Jerez de La Frontera.
The two Portuguese pilots should also be joined by a third element, which will be announced shortly.
The team will use a Yamaha R1M prepared with the latest specifications of the brand for this sport, in an effort that also involved Yamaha Motor de Portugal, which, in this way, bets on a team that wants to discuss the victory in Portimão.
Miguel Oliveira
On January 4, 1995 was born Miguel Oliveira in the parish of Pragal, in Almada, and became the first Portuguese person to participate in the Motocycling World Championship full time.
Currently, he is the national athlete of his age group that has more media visibility in Portugal and abroad. In parallel, he attends the integrated master's degree in dentistry, being an example of determination and commitment for all young people.
At just 9 years old, Miguel Oliveira started his sporting career and ended his debut year in 4th place in the national MiniGP championship. That same year, he was decorated by the Sport Confederation of Portugal in recognition of his talent.
His first sporting successes came in 2005 when he won the Portuguese MiniGP championship and the World Festival Metrakit in Spain, against 192 riders from 14 nations.
He revalidated the Portuguese title in 2006 and finished 2nd in the Copa Calypso, having also won all the races of the Andalusian Championship in which he participated without being able to score. In 2007 he rose in category and won the Mediterranean Pre-GP125 championship.
In 2008, he participated in several championships with sporadic participations where he stood out in Redbull Rookies with two consecutive victories in the three participations.
In 2009, he was third in the CEV (Spanish national championship) and 5th in the European championship.
In 2010 he already won 5 of the 7 races on the calendar to finish 2nd just two points behind his rival Maverick Viñales, having also that year became European vice-champion, before his debut in the world championship in 2011.
After a difficult year in 2011, Miguel Oliveira returned full-time in 2012, in the Estrella Galicia team, driving Sutter Honda, where he won two podiums (Catalonia and Australia) and placed eighth in the championship.
In 2013, he joined Mahindra Racing and made headlines for taking the Indian giant's first podium in Malaysia, thus entering the team's history, before being recruited by Redbull KTM Ajo for the 2015 season.
In 2015, he started his season with KTM in the Ajo Motorsport team and won 6 victories, three 2nd places and 1 pole position, thus securing the title of world vice-champion making a resounding recovery that surprised everyone, to finish just 6 points from the scepter.
In 2016, Miguel Oliveira joins Kent in Moto2 with Leopard Racing.
Comments