Round 8 of World Superbike at Estoril, according to Brembo

For the second time this year the Superbike World Championship is on stage in Portugal, but on a track 200 km (124 miles) further north than the previous one: in August it was raced at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve while now it is the turn of the Estoril Circuit, not far away from the capital. 

According to Brembo technicians who work closely with 17 World Superbike riders, the Estoril Circuit is a demanding circuit for the brakes: it is a combination of long straights, fast corners and hairpins to be traveled at low speed. The grip may be poor because, being close to the ocean, there is often the wind that brings sand and dust to the asphalt and creates driving problems. ​

​Brembo brake pads for Superbike ​ ​

The Brembo brake pads most widely used in World Superbike are the Z04: the friction coefficient is higher than 0.8 already at 50°C, and doesn't fall below this threshold until a temperature of 400°C (752°F) is reached. The result is stability and constant performance, even with high disc temperatures, making the fading effect less likely to occur. 

Some riders use front brake pads with the radiator. They're fixed to the pistons so don't run the risk of tilting when the wheel is being mounted; this means the front wheel can be changed more quickly. In addition, the radiator limits the overheating of the brake fluid. ​ ​

Brake use during Round 8 of World Superbike​​

In 7 of the 13 corners of the Portuguese track the Superbike riders use the brakes for a total of over 30 and a half seconds per lap. When MotoGP last ran there, in 2012, the brakes were used for 25 seconds per lap instead. In both cases, half of the braking system's operating time occurs in the first 4 corners. 

In 5 of the corners of the track the Superbikes use the brakes to go below 90 km/h (56 mph), but only in 3 of these points before using the braking system the speed exceeds 180 km/h (112 mph). And precisely in correspondence with these 3 corners riders suffer decelerations of at least 1.4 G. ​

​The most demanding braking section of the Estoril Round​