The FIM Supersport World Championship returned to action on Saturday afternoon for a fantastic Race 1 in perfect conditions. Reigning supreme in Race 1 was Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) after a phenomenal performance at the Pirelli Portuguese Round, setting an unbeatable pace throughout. The #55 secured his third victory of the season, after a dominant ride to finish 3.241s ahead of his rivals.
STREAK ENDED: Montella ends Huertas’ win streak
It was a significant result from Montella, with victory in Race 1 ending Adrian Huertas’ (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) win streak after the #99 was only able to finish in second with work to do on Sunday. Huertas finished on the podium for the ninth consecutive race this season after a strong result in Portugal. Meanwhile, Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) took the final spot on the podium after an intense battle in the closing stages.
EARLY LEAD: Montella enters P1
It was a fantastic launch off the line from Montella, who secured the holeshot on the run down to Turn 1. As Montella started strong, so did Manzi, who was able to charge into P2 in the early stages of Race 1. However, Huertas struggled in the early stages, battling for the P3 at the end of the opening lap, before running wide at Turn 1 on Lap 2. The #99 would reclaim his cool, beginning to string together strong laps to overtake Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) for third before pulling off a brave move at Turn 9 on Manzi.
Meanwhile, Montella extended his margin to 3.662s at the front, setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. This left Huertas on his own on the circuit, trying to find time where he could as the race progressed. Meanwhile, Manzi was beginning to be put under intense pressure from Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) for the final position on the podium.
LAST LAP: Podium decided
On the entry to Turn 1, Navarro snatched P3 from Manzi, with nothing separating the riders on the circuit. The #9 almost made contact with Manzi at Turn 8, losing time and losing an opportunity to finish on the podium. Soon after, Montella crossed the line to claim victory at Portimao ahead of Huertas, with Manzi taking the important third place finish.
SETTLING FOR P4: Navarro misses out
Navarro missed out on the podium, crossing the line in fourth after pushing hard on the final lap. The #9 missed out by 1.571s, finishing ahead of Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing), who rounded out the top five and secured a solid point-scoring finish. Meanwhile, Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) crossed the line in sixth after an eventful day for the Frenchman, who crashed on the sighting lap and had his bike repaired on the grid. The #53 was ahead of Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in seventh and fellow Frenchman Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) in eighth. Meanwhile, the final spots inside the top 10 went the way of Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team).
It was a disappointing Race 1 for Nicolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team), who crashed at Turn 5 twice during the race. The #5 was not the only rider to crash with Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) also suffering an early end to Saturday after the British rider fell out of contention at Turn 1.
The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +3.241s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +10.598s
4. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +12.169s
5. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +14.868s
6. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +15.811s
Fastest lap: Yari Montella, Ducati – 1’43.246s
Make sure you watch WorldSSP Race 2 on Sunday at 16:30 Local Time (UTC +1), using the WorldSBK VideoPass – NOW HALF PRICE!
Source: WorldSBK.com