Perfect end of the season in Portugal for Chris Clark as he romps to victory in style.
Chris Clark signed off from his front running season in the Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup with victory in the final round of series at Estoril in Portugal.
The win, his second of the season, secured a top five finish in the overall standings, putting Chris on the shopping list for several teams keen to secure his services for the 2027 season.
The weekend started well for Chris who once again showed pace in Free Practice. Running alone in Superpole he secured a fourth-row grid spot for the opening encounter which he converted to a seventh-place finish at the flag after an intense race saw him miss the win by a mere four tenths of a second.
Starting second, courtesy of his lap time in Race One, the #5 wasted no time in hitting the front on Sunday, controlling things with a race long performance that saw him break the group on the final lap to take the win.
He now heads back to the USA before returning to the UK to take part in Full Throttle LIVE – a new superbike themed theatre show in the UK.
An announcement regarding Chris’s 2027 plans will be made in due course.
Chris Clark: “I fought hard in race one. Starting eleventh I battled from start to finish and got into the lead quite early which was good for to me able to strategize for the final laps. I ran a slightly taller gearing which I think was the wrong call but overall, I cannot be unhappy. On the last lap I was a bit further back than I wanted to be and wasn’t able to finish on the podium, but we made some changes for Sunday, and I was confident for the final race of the season. It was the perfect way to end the season. I started second and was able to run at the front. Mid way I was feeling really good, and it all came down to me to execute the plan. It went perfectly and I am so happy to end the year with a win. I want to thank everyone at Smrz Racing, from Kuba, to everyone who has been involved with the team. I want to thank my family, especially my mom, and all my personal sponsors, TJ at KYT, Tosha and Rob at Bison Leathers, Gordon, and everyone at Pole Position travel. I want to thank Kathrin for all her hard work and my manager Michael for being there on and off track, and to everyone who supports me – thank you. For next year I am not sure yet of where I will be. I have some options and for sure I want to stay in the World Superbike paddock so I guess all I can say for now is watch this space. Finally, thanks to Yamaha and BLU CRU for the opportunity this year, to all the staff at World Superbike and to all the fans. See you in 2027!”
