Source: Supplied.

Australian international Mike Jones believes he’ll need to bring his ‘A game’ for the challenging Portimao circuit in Portugal, which will play host to the seventh round of the Superstock 1000 European Championship this weekend.

The Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team rider, who is coming off a career-first podium in the division at the previous round, is feeling confident in his new riding style, and is adamant on making a return to the top three again in Portugal.

“I’m quite confident after our strong performance at Lausitz, which finally brought us to the podium,” Jones explained. “We want to continue this form at Portimao, where we did a really good test at the beginning of the year.

“Like I’ve been saying, the improvements I made with my riding style should allow us to race at the front in Portugal as well. It’s a really tricky track, it’s quite difficult to ride quickly and consistently there.

“You definitely need to bring your A game. I like it, I’ve been there a few times before and I think this will help me. I have good understanding of the track. I think it’ll be a very exciting weekend.”

Jones sits sixth in the championship standings as just three rounds remain in the highly-regarded European series that runs alongside the prestigious FIM World Superbike (WorldSBK) Championship.