Adrian Huertas of Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team continued his impressive 2024 campaign with a dominant performance in Race 1 of the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Prosecco DOC UK Round. The Spanish rider claimed his fifth win of the season and third consecutive victory with a masterful display at Donington Park.
Despite a strong start from Yari Montella, Huertas quickly asserted his authority, seizing the lead on the second lap and never looking back. His relentless pace saw him open up a commanding 4.679-second gap by the checkered flag, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process.
The battle for the remaining podium positions provided edge-of-the-seat excitement, with Stefano Manzi of Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing snatching second place from Montella in the closing stages. Montella fought valiantly to reclaim the position but had to settle for third, crossing the line just 0.188 seconds behind Manzi.
The race was not without drama, as home favourite Tom Booth-Amos faced an early setback with a Long Lap penalty for cutting the track. Despite this, he managed to recover to a respectable seventh place.
Jorge Navarro secured fourth after a intense battle with Valentin Debise, who rounded out the top five. Bahattin Sofuoglu impressed with a charge from the third row to finish sixth.
Late drama unfolded when Marcel Schroetter crashed on the final lap following contact with Federico Caricasulo. The incident resulted in a five-position penalty for Caricasulo, dropping him to 16th.
Further down the field, Oli Bayliss, Niki Tuuli, and Lucas Mahias completed the top ten, with Tuuli losing one position due to exceeding track limits on the final lap.
As the championship moves into the second race of the weekend, all eyes will be on Huertas to see if he can maintain his blistering form, while his rivals will be strategizing on how to close the gap to the flying Spaniard.
The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:
- Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
- Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) +4.679s
- Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +4.867s
- Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +6.392s
- Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +6.630s
- Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +12.120s
