Manzi delivers maiden victory for Yamaha R9

On the debut of the Yamaha YZF R9 Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) delivered victory for the Japanese manufacturer.

The Italian started in eighth position but he was in the fight at the front from the start of the 18 lap race.

Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) led the opening laps of the race before the Turkish rider finished in fifth position.

A 3.510s time penalty for a Pit Intervention infringement relegated WorldSSP debutant Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) from the podium to sixth position. The 2023 Moto3 World Champion led a total of four laps on a strong debut.

Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing):
“It’s great to start the season with a win. To begin our new journey with a new bike by winning is an amazing feeling. I want to thank Yamaha and the team because they have put a lot of effort into this project behind the scenes. Thanks to them I was able to win today.

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It wasn’t easy. It was a tough fight in this race and with the pit stop the race was split. In the end, I’m here finishing first so I’m happy! It’s important to start the season with a win because, in the winter tests in Spain and again here on Monday, I was struggling a lot. It wasn’t easy at all. In Superpole I wasn’t super quick, but in the end, we managed to close the gap and this is the result.”

Race 1 Results
1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +0.322s
3. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) +0.480s
4. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.447s
5. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +2.513s
6. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +3.527s