18 laps of The FIM Supersport World Championship Race 1 unfolded at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal on Saturday afternoon, and dry weather greeted the paddock following a day of wet Free Practice Sessions on Friday. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) was dominant from lights out, as he led Championship leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing) and title rival Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) into Turn 1.
MONTELLA UNSTOPPABLE: Italian leads from lights out
Early crashes for Spain’s Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and #71 Tom Edwards on Lap 1 cut short their first race of the weekend. Chasing down the front trio was Frenchman Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) with Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) close on his tail. The paddock was unable to challenge the Italian #55 rider, who displayed strong race pace throughout, and the other rostrum positions also remained uninterrupted with Huertas and Manzi riding comfortable races in second and third, with Montella’s victory securing Ducati a second consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship.
DRAMA FOR DEBISE: two crashes for the Frenchman
Outside of the podium places, Debise and Mahias provided plenty of close racing action for the Portuguese spectators as they battled for fourth position. The #53 Yamaha rider showcased some impressive late race pace during the closing stages at the Estoril circuit as he made a significant gain towards a podium spot. His speed provided too much however, as he crashed at turn 1 with only four laps remaining. Despite returning to his bike and back into a points position, he once again ended up in the gravel with two laps to go and retiring from the race.
SUCCESS FOR TEN KATE RACING: wrapping up the Teams’ Championship
Ten Kate Racing celebrated Race 1 of the penultimate Championship weekend as they won the Teams’ Championship award, whilst Ducati claimed the all-important manufacturer’s championship, their second in a row. With his Race 1 win and outstanding last lap record time of 1’40.266, Montella claims his eighth win, equaling Sam Lowes at the 12th-all time spot. Standing on the second step of the rostrum, #99 Huertas achieved his 16th podium alongside title rival Manzi who also claims his 16th podium position of the year.
JUST OFF THE PODIUM: Mahias leads Caricasulo
Just missing out on a top three finish was Lucas Mahias, who led Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) and Germany’s Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) across the line to complete the top six. The pressure is now ramping up as the paddock looks ahead to Race 2 on Sunday afternoon. The FIM Supersport World Championship is all to play for as just 50 points separate the top three riders; Huertas, Montella and Manzi.
The top six from WorldSSP Race 1:
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +1.321s
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +5.391s
4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +17.164s
5. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +22.548s
6. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +22.603s
Fastest lap: Yari Montella, Ducati – 1’40.266s
