It was a dramatic start to the Czech Round for the FIM Supersport World Championship with two red flags interrupting the 40-minute Free Practice session. It was topped by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) after the #55 pipped Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) to P1 with his last flying lap at the Autodrom Most, with little to separate the field after the first and only practice session.
Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) was the early pacesetter with the Italian setting a 1’35.226s just before the red flags were thrown following a crash for Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) on the exit of Turn 21, with the Finn having a lowside crash but his bike left stranded in the middle of the circuit. With the recovery operation completed, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was the first to match – literally – Manzi’s time as they set the same time, before Manzi went faster with a 1’35.226s.
The red flags were deployed again with 10 minutes to go when Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) crashed at Turn 2, with the Brit taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. With the session on halt again, Debise led the way with Manzi second and Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in third. When the session got underway for the third time, Debise’s 1’35.042s was first beaten only by himself as he set a 1’34.912s before Montella’s final lap, a 1’34.882s, stole top spot at the final moments. It meant Debise finished second with Manzi in third.
Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed fourth after slowly building up speed during the disrupted session, lapping around three tenths slower than his title rival. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was fifth and Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) was sixth. It meant the top six was comprised of two Ducatis, two Yamahas and two MV Agusta machines, with just under four tenths separating the first six riders.
Navarro finished the session in seventh after dropping down the order in the closing stages, with Sofuoglu just a tenth behind the #9. It was a good start to the weekend for Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team), who was immediately in the top ten as he secured ninth, with Tuuli rounding out the top ten despite only completing three laps following his early crash. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 14th after he crashed in the opening moments at Turn 15, while Booth-Amos was 17th in the classification.
The top six from WorldSSP Free Practice, full results here:
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 1’34.882s
2. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.030s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.283s
4. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.294s
5. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.324s
6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.390s
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Source: WorldSBK.com