The action has firmly resumed in the FIM World Supersport 300 Championship, and Race 1 on Saturday delivered in spades. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) and Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) delivered a last lap battle for the ages, with the Spaniard pipping the Indonesian rider to the chequered flag by just seven-thousandths of a second.
EPIC LAST LAP DUEL: Iglesias and Mahendra fight to the finish
In one of the closest race finishes in recent memory, Inigo Iglesias and Aldi Mahendra delivered a truly titanic last lap battle, one more than worthy of the occasion at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Swapping first place several times over the course of the last lap, Mahendra stole a march on Iglesias heading into the final sector, before Iglesias straightened up on the final straight in a drag race to the line. Iglesias’ momentum just nudged him ahead of Mahendra to pick up an epic win in Race 1. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) put together a very impressive performance to pick up a very solid P3, securing his place on the podium.
TOP SIX: Marc Garcia leads the way
In an equally intense affair, Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) secured P4 with a rock-solid performance. P5 and P6 were rounded out by Spaniard Jose Osuna Saez (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) and reigning World Champion Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing), who both confirmed solid showings during the race.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP TEN: Intense battle for the best of the rest
Like the other battles at the top of the standings, the fight for the top ten was an intense affair. Dutchman Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) secured P7, whilst P8, P9 and P10 were all secured respectively by Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia), David Salvador (MS Racing) and Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse).
CRASHES, DRAMA AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN: Huge drama in title race
Elsewhere within the chaos of Race 1, there were several incidents and accidents amongst the grid, including some that could have huge implications in the WorldSSP300 title race. Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) and Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) were involved in a crash at turn 3, with Czech rider Svoboda later confirmed to have suffered a left lower leg displaced fracture. Most crucially, Championship leader Daniel Mogeda (Team #109 Retro Racing Kawasaki) was involved in two incidents; the first incident he was able to get away from, but the second one brought him down. A crash at turn 15 saw Mogeda’s Championship lead converted into a deficit.
Top six from Race 1 of WorldSSP300, full results here:
1. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki)
2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.007s
3. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) +0.227s
4. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.308s
5. Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) +0.482s
6. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) +1.092s
Keep involved with all the WorldSSP300 action using the official WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com