The moment is finally here. After winter testing and a lot of hard work by QJ MOTOR and the QJMOTOR Factory Racing Team during said tests, Raffaele De Rosa and Niki Tuuli are ready to take on the first round of the 2025 WorldSSP Challenge that will take place on 28-30 March at the Autodromo do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal.
Having debuted in the championship last year with Raffaele De Rosa and SRK 800 RR, the factory QJMOTOR team will redouble its efforts this year, with the experienced Italian joined on track by Niki Tuuli, the Finnish rider who knows the category well.
And the Chinese manufacturer’s commitment goes beyond a second rider, in that as of June, the SRK 800 RR will be replaced with a new model, now in an advanced phase of development. The new bike has been tested at Chinese circuits, with a prototype having also been tested by De Rosa during the winter tests at Jerez.
At Portimao the two QJMOTOR Factory Racing riders and their technical staff will aim to continue with the development of the SRK 800 RR, which will boast many new elements, as they target the points zone, something that they just missed out on several times last year and that would represent a real milestone.
The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve was inaugurated on 2 November 2008 with the final round of the Superbike World Championship. Aside from the circuit, the project also involved a karting track, a technology part, a five-star hotel and a sports complex. Spanning a total area of 300 hectares, it represents the largest ever investment in the Algarve. The track used for the Superbike races measures 4.692 km, though there are 64 possible configurations to suit any kind of motorsport event, F1 included.
Raffaele De Rosa:
“It’s always great to tackle the first round of the year, and it’s fantastic to do so at Portimao, a track that all the riders really enjoy. We’ll be using a SRK 800 RR that is significantly better than what we had last year, and we’ll try to harness its full potential to achieve the best possible result.”
Niki Tuuli:
“I’m excited to be able to start my 2025 season with the QJMOTOR Factory Racing Team. Us riders and the team are all ready to work hard on this project, which clearly has great potential. We’ll give it our all to exploit all the hard work done by the Chinese manufacturer and the team. It’s all new for me, but during testing I had great feeling with the team’s technicians and with the bike and so I can’t wait to race at Portimao!”
