In Race 1 of the FIM Supersport World Championship at the Cremona Circuit in Italy, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) stormed across the line to take the top step of the podium, achieving his 9th win and 13th podium of the season. The Italian Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) managed to hold off a respectable effort from Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) who achieves his 17th podium.
STRONG ALL WEEKEND: Huertas maintains Championship lead
From lights out, Adrian Huertas continued his dominant form, taking victory after starting from pole. The race was marked by a close battle between the top contenders, but Huertas managed to fend off his rivals, including Stefano Manzi and Yari Montella. Huertas set the pace early, with Manzi and Montella keeping pressure on throughout the race. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) also made an impact but couldn’t quite break into the top three.
MANZI V MONTELLA: Close riding until the end
With Huertas well ahead, there was still plenty of action near the front, with the two Italian riders providing plenty of action for the spectators. With three laps remaining it looked like Montella was able to increase his gap between Manzi, however a last effort charge from the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider showed he wasn’t ready to settle for third. He took an impressive overtake on his fellow Italian rival, and despite some close battles, Manzi managed to maintain his position and cross the line in second.
Fourth place finisher Marcel Schroetter, was closely followed by Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) who secured a respectable fifth position, whilst Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) and Britain’s John Mcphee (WRP by SKM-Triumph) rode to an impressive sixth and seventh. Completing the top 10 finsishers, were Ondrej Vostatek (PTR Triumph), Finish rider Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).
The Race 1 victory for the young Spaniard extended Huertas’ strong run of form, adding to his recent string of pole positions. The Cremona track saw plenty of action, and evidently Huertas’ performance puts him in a strong position for the WorldSSP Championship.
The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:
1 Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) +4.665s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +7.597s
4. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +13.000s
5. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) +13.682s
6. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +17.818s
Fastest lap: Adrian Huertas (Ducati) – 1’32.213s
Next up in Cremona is the WorldSSP Race 2 on Sunday at 15:15 Local Time (UTC +1), so make sure you watch the action using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now 50% off!
Source: WorldSBK.com