It was yet another weekend to remember for the MTM Kawasaki team in the FIM Sueprsport 300 World Championship. Loris Veneman took over in the lead of the Championship standings but the team made it four wins on the spin as Mirko Gennai took his first wins of 2024 with a fine double at his beloved Portimao, following up Veneman’s double at Most in July.
SENSATIONAL WEEKEND: poles, wins and podiums all round
Race 1 was a masterclass from the #26, as he broke clear on the last lap to make sure he couldn’t be slipstreamed to the line. With a collision on the final lap with Veneman, Inigo Iglesias (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) crashed out, meaning Veneman’s P4 propelled the 17-year-old Dutch rider to within 10 points of the Championship lead. It was also a second straight pole for Veneman in WorldSSP300, showing the #7 has strong one-lap pace as well as race craft.
On Sunday afternoon, another thriller as once again, the battle intensified with daring moves and elbows-out battling, typical of WorldSSP300. ‘Little man’ Gennai once again demonstrated his incredible Portimao pace and took charge, making it two wins from two, bringing himself into contention for the title. However, an early mechanical issue fot Iglesias capped off what was a weekend to forget with a double DNF. Seizing the opportunity to lead the Championship, Veneman’s P2 in Race 2 – a first 1-2 for MTM Kawasaki since Aragon’s Race 1 in 2023 – also gave him the Championship lead. For Gennai, it was his fifth win in WorldSSP300 at the Portuguese circuit and his sixth of his career, becoming the only rider in World Supersport 300 to win at a race track five times.
“WE’RE MORE POSITIVE FOR THE FINAL PART OF THE YEAR” – Gennai a contender for glory?
Speaking about his double, Gennai explained his Portimao pace: “Race 2 was fantastic like all the weekend. With my teammate Loris, to be on the podium together for the team is fantastic. We did the perfect job this weekend and we had a fantastic feeling with the bike. I’m very happy but I think the race was slower than Race 1 and also cooler. It was harder to finish in Race 1 because of the heat. Today, I used more strategy to save the tyre better for the last lap. I didn’t know I had one second in hand but to finish first anyway, I’m very happy. We’ve been strong all year but actually, had some bad luck in the first part. Now, to win two races consecutively, we’re more positive for the final part of the year. We’ll work to stay on top for Magny-Cours.”
“I DIDN’T WANT TO RISK EVERYTHING” – smart, safe and Championship lead for Veneman
Championship leader Loris Veneman has taken charge in the last two rounds but now, the hunter will become the hunted moving forwards to Magny-Cours: “Race 2 was quite hard because I had to come from P10 and pass a lot of riders. The first riders were getting away so I had to give it my all to close them in and in the end, I could do it. In the last couple of laps, I was getting my breath down a bit to be more relaxed because it was very hot on the bike. In the end, I could use my brain; the two Koves took each other out wide and I knew that if I could push now, I’d be able to do the undercut and it worked out. I’m really happy with P2.
“I didn’t want to risk everything in the race as I knew Inigo wasn’t in the group but I didn’t know he didn’t finish either. I knew if I finished the race, I’d be Championship leader. P5 gets me 11 points and I was 10 points behind! I didn’t want to risk everything but I’m happy in the end. Magny-Cours, I think, is almost my favourite circuit so I hope to be really fast again and I hope I can extend my Championship lead there.”
UNMISSABLE IN 2024: enjoy all the racing action with 50% off the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com