WorldSSP: Over the course of 19 laps there was little to choose between Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team).
A mistake on the penultimate lap at Turn 13 forced Manzi to dig deep on the final lap to attack for the lead at the same corner one lap later. The duo once again delivered a classic battle where they edged away from the field in the second half of the race.
On his WorldSSP debut Alberto Surra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) started from the third row of the grid and spent the majority of the race in the top four fighting for a podium finish. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) crossed the line in third position but a penalty, for course cutting, relegated the Frenchman from the podium and promoted Surra.
Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) ended the race as the leading Supersport Challenge rider in fifth position. It was another strong performance from the French rider to finish ahead of Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing).
Oncu’s fastest lap will be rewarded with pole position for Race 2 ahead of Manzi and Surra.
Championship Highlights
- With seven races remaining Manzi now holds an advantage of 64 points from Oncu.
- Taking advantage of a retirement for Jaume Masia, Tom Booth-Amos has moved back into third in the standings.
P1 – Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
“To be honest, I’ve felt quite weak from the start of this weekend. My race pace was surprisingly strong and when I got in front we were going half a second faster. However, it was impossible to escape. Oncu was always right behind me and overtaking at the end of the straight. It was a long, tough fight. I had a big moment two laps from the end and almost crashed. I lost about a second. I don’t know how but I managed to close the gap on the last lap and overtake him to win the race.”
Race 1 Results
1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 1’40.435
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.244s
3. Alberto Surra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +4.415s
4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94-Yamaha) +5.991s
5. Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport) +7.257s
6. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +8.852s
Fastest lap: Can Oncu (Yamaha) 1’40.400s
For more info checkout our dedicated WorldSBK (World Superbike) News page superbike-news.co.uk/category/world-superbikes/
Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com
©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of WorldSBK.com
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