On his latest WorldSBK-spec Ninja ZX-10RR machine, Garrett took a sixth place in the Phillip Island Superpole Race, and then followed that up with tenth in the final race of the weekend.

After a winter test schedule that was frequently affected by adverse weather, Gerloff and all inside the WorldSBK paddock will be hoping that the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve features dry weather conditions over race weekend. The on-track action takes place between 27-29 March, at the ever-popular 4.592km long circuit on the south of Portugal.

The ‘Portimao’ circuit is something of a favourite venue for Garrett, who has just missed the podium on three previous occasions and recorded an additional nine top ten finishes.

The Kawasaki WorldSBK Team will take part in two Free Practice sessions on Friday 27 March, a further Free Practice session on Saturday, followed by Tissot Superpole Qualifying and then Race One, which will be run over 20 laps. Sunday 29 March will see the team take part in two races - the first ten-lap Tissot Superpole Race and then a final 20-lap Race Two.

After Portimao, the championship heads to Assen, in the Netherlands, with the third round being held between 17-19 April.

Garrett Gerloff stated: “I’m happy to be back in Portimao, where I’ve scored good results in the past, just missing the podium. We’ll need to work well on Friday to find a good setup that allows us to be competitive throughout the weekend. In Australia, we saw that we have good potential, so we’ll be giving it our all with the aim of taking top ten results, even though I’d like to finish a race inside the top five.”