The FIM World Supersport 300 Championship was back in action once again at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, and Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) made an impressive comeback after crashing during the Tissot Superpole session, to set a lap time of 1’52.067s. He was closely followed by Dutchman Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) who was just behind the top rider as Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) secured third on the grid for Saturday’s Race 1.
Australia’s first pole since 2018: #50 strongest throughout Friday
It was looking unlikely for the 16-year-old Thompson too secure a good result in the Friday afternoon session after he clashed with Raffaele Tragni (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) with 10 minutes of track time remaining. However, the #50 returned to the Spanish circuit, and with two minutes remaining, posted the fastest lap time with his rivals unable to challenge him. As a result, he secured his career first pole and Australia’s first pole in the class since Portimao in 2018.
Tissot Superpole Award Winner: #7 achieves season award
Championship contender Veneman, and his team at Kawasaki have reason to celebrate after the Superpole session, as the #7 rider claimed the Tissot Superpole Award for the 2024 season. It was a respectable result for Spaniard Saez in third place for the Jerez Superpole, with title leader Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) close behind in fourth position. Brazilian rider Humberto Maier (MS Racing) and Galang Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) set lap times to rank within the top six, whilst title contender Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and David Salvador (MS Racing) rounded off the top eight.
Gennai starts from 10th: Riders look ahead to Race 1
#22 Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) achieved a solid ninth place, and Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) completed the top 10 of Friday’s Superpole. It is set to be a thrilling three-rider battle as the Championship looks forward to the first race of the weekend on Saturday, but will Mahendra, Veneman or Bravo ride to victory in Jerez?
The top six from WorldSSP300 Superpole, full results here:
1. Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) 1’51.999s
2. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.019s
3. Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) +0.074s
4. Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.076s
5. Humberto Maier (MS Racing) +0.086s
6. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.094s
Don’t miss WorldSSP300’s Tissot Superpole session at 12:45 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass
Source: WorldSBK.com