“Miguel [Oliveira] greatly enhanced the country’s name and brought prestige to Portugal, so we owe him that sense of gratitude in a sport where we do not have a great tradition,” said Marques Mendes upon arriving at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão.
In statements to the news agency Lusa, the presidential candidate confided that he had today free from electoral campaign commitments, “especially since I had already arranged with Miguel to be present” at his MotoGP farewell.
“I could not be present on Saturday as I would have liked, but I came here today to give him a hug, because I have great admiration for him, we are friends, and he is my deputy for youth and sports,” he emphasized.
Marques Mendes stated that he sees “with normalcy” the transition of the 30-year-old Portuguese rider to the Superbike category after seven years in the MotoGP World Championship, describing it as “a change like everything in life.”
“He spent some years in this category of motorcycling, with several victories, and brought prestige to Portugal’s name and boosted the Portuguese people’s self-esteem,” he highlighted.
The presidential candidate believes that Miguel Oliveira “will still bring many joys to the Portuguese in the new challenge he will have,” emphasizing that “he is a very nice person and a great athlete.”
Miguel Oliveira (Yamaha) starts today from the 19th position on the starting grid of the MotoGP Portugal GP, scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM at the Algarve International Circuit.
