It was a cruel twist that when 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Miguel Oliveira dominated the inaugural Portuguese MotoGP at Portimao in 2020 - pole position, fastest lap and victory – the h🌳ome fans were absent due to Covid restricti🌃ons.

During MotoGP’s five visits since, the fans have flocked back to support Oliveira – reaching a new high of 72,549 fans on Sunday anಌd 174,614 for the Portugues💞e weekend.

But unfortunately, Oli𝐆veira is yet to m🧔atch his 2020 home heroics, with a next best of fifth place, for KTM, in 2022.

This yearꦗ’s return, now on a factory Aprilia RS-GP for Trackhouse, provided promise on paper, but the 29-year-old is yet to get fully comfortable. Qualifying just 15th on the grid, Oliveira was just eleventh in the S𝔍print race.

However he enjoyed a stro𒐪nger showಌing in the grand prix, overtaking both factory Yamahas to reach ninth, before a tangle with Marco Bezzecchi sent him back to twelfth.

That became ninth when Maverick Vinales, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia all hit problems in th✃e closing stages.

“It was OK. I💎t could have been 6th place but I got a little too close with Bezz♋ecchi in the first corner, when he pulled next to me and pushed me to the left side of the track,” Oliveira explained.

“I braked on top of t📖he kerb, just went strai🎉ght and lost three places there. But until then I could at least fight. I made a good start, also a good opening lap and overtook two Yamahas. So not too bad.”

It may not have been the result he꧃ or the home fans wanted, but that didn’t dampen the support he received all weekend.

“I think I only saw this [much support] in the years I was in the cha🐽mpionship with one rider. And he's retired already. You know who it is,” Oliveira said, referring to Valentino Rossi.

“It's quite amazing to have not just the track but the whꦯole country with you. I can't describe the feeling.

“A little bit of pressure because everyone is shouting your name. But it's good because after this I don't think even [fig෴hting] for a world championship would be more pressure than this… unless it's here! But yeah it was really cool.”

The support for Oliveira echoed across the main straight an𝔉d into the garages from fans singing in the grandstand: “Yeah [football is🐭 a big thing here] - you see how when they shout my name, it’s kind of like a football song!”

Speaking of football, a certain Jose Mourinho was a special guest of MotoGP 💟at Portimao, where he waved the chequered flag in Sunday’s race.

“He watches MotoGP,” Oliveira saidꩵ. “He likes it. He confessed to me that it's better than F1 - and he has been to a few F1 races!

“So that was a really cool to hear. It was just a normal cha🗹t. It was cool𝕴 to meet him.”