PREVIEW: Geiger defends WorldSSP300 lead at Most as his rivals look to close in

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship returns to action at the Autodrom Most for the Acerbis Czech Round. Four rounds have been completed in the Championship and Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) leads the standings with a 17-point advantage over his closest rival, Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha). Both were victorious last time out at Imola, and the pair will look to pull away from their competitors in the Czech Republic.

BATTLE AT THE TOP: Geiger and Vannucci excel at Imola, Svoboda on a home charge

There was an exciting duel at Imola with Geiger and Vannucci the clear standout riders, and they added a victory each to their total. The results moved the KTM rider into the lead of the standings with 116 points, while Vannucci trails him by just 17. Most is a circuit that KTM have excelled at, with the late Victor Steeman winning and taking pole there in 2021 for the Austrian manufacturer. Yamaha have one victory to their name here, with Marc Garcia winning Race 1 last year, but Geiger – and teammate Lennox Lehmann, who was on the podium here previously – will look to build on KTM’s strong Italian Round. Will the 21-year-old be able to extend his title advantage at a strong circuit for KTM, or can Vannucci fight back?

Elsewhere, Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) will look to claim a home victory and reignite his title charge. The Czech rider was outside the top six at Imola but he’s aware of what is needed for victory in 2023 after his Assen double. He’s 21 points off the lead despite a difficult run of form with just one podium since Assen. The Brno-born rider will be aiming his home fans give him a boost and a return to the top step.

THE CHASING PACK: Gennai, Maier and Perez Gonzalez aim to stay in touch

Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) heads into the Czech Round tied on points with Svoboda with one win in 2023, although that was almost three months ago in Catalunya. A Race 2 crash at Imola cost him ground in the title fight but he remains ahead of Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) despite the Brazilian’s strong Imola round where he battled for the podium. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) has become known for his fourth-place finishes this season, with five in eight races. The Majorcan rider is still searching for a maiden podium and given Kawasaki’s form of two wins in four races, will be hoping it comes at Most.

KOVE HOPING FOR AN IMOLA REPEAT: in search of more points

Chinese manufacturer Kove comfortably had their best result of the 2023 campaign at Imola as 2017 Champion Marc Garcia took them into the points with eighth. He was unable to repeat this in Race 2 but returns for a second bite of the cherry on the Kove 321RR machine at Most as he, once again, stands in for Junhao Zhan for the China Racing Team. Garcia won at Most last year in Race 1 when on Yamaha machinery, which he compared to the Kove after Imola. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) is the only other winner on the grid after he won Race 2 in 2021 for his current team. Can the 2020 Champion add a second win of the season to his name and haul himself into title contention?

HOUSEKEEPING: some rider line-up changes for Most

Maxim Repark will ride for the Accolade Smrz Racing BGR team in place of Yeray Saiz Marquez, while Krittapat Keankum will step in at Arco Motor University Team alongside Ruben Bijman. The Thai rider competed in the Yamaha R3 European bLU cRU European Cup in 2022 and European Championship this season, taking three podiums. Kevin Fontainha will make his WorldSSP300 debut at Sublime Racing by MS Racing as he steps up from the Yamaha R3 Championship; the Brazilian is currently third in the standings. Another rider stepping up is Indonesia’s Aldi Satya Mahendra as a wildcard for the Team BrCorse outfit, while Walid Khan – a podium finisher at Brno – returns as a wildcard for the Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing; his first appearance in WorldSSP300 since 2018.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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