More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Aegerter claims 2021 title with third as Odendaal crashes, Cluzel secures San Juan victory
Third place for Dominique Aegerter was enough to claim the 2021 Championship as Jules Cluzel added to his Argentinean record
The FIM Supersport World Championship title race came to a dramatic conclusion at the Circuito San Juan Villicum during the Motul Argentinean Round as Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was crowned 2021 Champion with a third-place finish, as Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) maintained his perfect record at San Juan Villicum with another commanding victory, making it four out of four in South America.
DRAMA FROM THE START
Cluzel and Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) both got good starts as the lights went out, as did Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) but the South African rider, who needed to outscore title rival Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) by at least three points to keep the Championship going to Indonesia, found himself on the floor after Turn 1 contact with Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team); the incident placed under investigation by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards. With Odendaal having to fight his way back through the field, Aegerter was crowned World Champion after finishing in third place, his first World Championship title in his rookie WorldSSP campaign. Odendaal’s fightback ended on Lap 13 from 14th place after crashing at Turn 15.
The incident allowed Cluzel and Öncü to battle it out at the front of the field in the early stages of the 19-lap race, with Cluzel under pressure from the Turkish star. As the race entered the second half of the race, Cluzel started to pull away from Öncü and went on to claim his fourth victory at the San Juan circuit; maintaining his 100% record in Argentina. Öncü was able to hold second place for his second consecutive podium and third of his WorldSSP career.
A BATTLE FOR THIRD…
Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was a beneficiary of the incident at Turn 1 as he moved into third place as he looked for his maiden podium, but soon found himself under pressure from Aegerter and Finland’s Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti). Both were able to make their way past the Hungarian rider.
Aegerter would go on to claim third place after dropping to ninth at the start following the Lap 1 incident to secure his first WorldSSP Championship with a podium finish, becoming the second Swiss rider in three years to claim the title. It was also Ten Kate Racing’s tenth WorldSSP title and their first with Yamaha. Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) battled his way through the field to claim fourth place after a late move on Sebestyen, with the Hungarian rider coming home in fifth place after a strong weekend; the first top-five for a Hungarian rider since Imre Toth at Monza in 2012 who finished fourth, while it was also Sebestyen’s best result of the campaign.
TAKING HOME POINTS
Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) claimed sixth place on his return from injury with a strong comeback result ahead of Finland’s Vertti Takala (Kallio Racing) in seventh place. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) took his best WorldSSP result with eighth place ahead of Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing) while Gonzalez was able to battle back to secure a top ten finish.
Leandro Taccini (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) claimed his first WorldSSP points finish with 11th place on his first round for Ten Kate Racing, and his first with Yamaha machinery, while Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was 12th. Sheridan Morais (Wojcik Racing Team) claimed points on his WorldSSP return with 13th place, ahead of Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing) who took home 14th place despite an issue on Lap 11. 2020 WorldSSP300 Champion Jeffrey Buis (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti) secured points on his WorldSSP debut with 15th place.
TO NOTE
Home hero Andres Gonzales (VFT Racing) was out of the race on the second lap after he had an incident at Turn 7, while fellow Argentinean Mattias Petratti (Yamaha MS Racing) was 17th after he had to start from the pit lane as a sanction for stopping on track in the morning Warm-Up session and causing a Red Flag. Odendaal retired from the race following his second crash, while Tuuli had a last-lap crash from fourth place which forced him out of the race.
More, from another press release issued by Dorna:
Dominique Aegerter crowned 2021 WorldSSP Champion
10 wins in 2021 have seen the Swiss rookie take his first title in San Juan.
With 10 wins and 14 podium places, Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) becomes the 2021 WorldSSP Champion at the Circuito San Juan Villicum. Adapting quickly to the category and imposing strong race pace from his first win at Estoril, Aegerter wins the title race having been under Steven Odendaal’s pressure during the whole 2021 season. The rookie took the lead of the Championship standings after Misano’s Race 1 and never looked back, even when he missed the Hyundai N Catalunya Round due to his MotoE™ World Cup commitments.
Aegerter joined the WorldSSP paddock in 2021 after a successful career in the 125cc and Moto2™ World Championship’s, as well as the MotoE™ World Cup. In 2014, he became a Moto2™ Grand Prix winner at the Sachsenring. In his first season in World Superport, he achieved 10 wins, 14 podiums and 3 pole positions, standing out as the rider to beat in a highly competitive field. He is also leading the Pirelli Best Lap Award with seven best laps claimed this season.
With a 68 points advantage over his closest competitor Steven Odendaal, Dominique Aegerter becomes the second Swiss WorldSSP Champion, with Randy Krummenacher having achieved it in 2019. He also becomes the third rookie in four years, following on from fellow Yamaha riders Sandro Cortese in 2018 and Andrea Locatelli in 2020. The Championship victory also marks a return to Championship-winning ways for Ten Kate Racing, with a tenth WorldSSP title, consolidating their status as the most successful World Supersport team of all time. It’s also the Dutch team’s first since their collaboration with Yamaha began.
Dominique Aegerter, Ten Kate Racing Yamaha:
“The first World Championship title is amazing to get! It is difficult to realise it now, after the race. I hope soon that I can get back to the box and celebrate with all my team, but also all my friends, family and sponsors back at home. I can’t wait to get home and see them; I worked 31 years – or at least 20, 25 years – to become World Champion, and now I am. When signing the contract with Ten Kate Racing, I knew that we had a World Championship-winning team and a Championship-winning bike with the Yamaha R6. We have good suppliers, good sponsors, and a good group of people at home, so we have everything we need to fight for the title. This was my goal, the team’s goal and everyone else’s goal too. Step-by-step, we were fighting for podiums and victories, and the end is when you get the title. We win it with one round to go, so for sure I’m super happy but we were always thinking race by race and now I have it!”
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Aegerter Crowned 2021 WorldSSP Champion in Argentina
Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Dominique Aegerter was crowned the 2021 FIM Supersport World Champion at San Juan, after finishing third in Sunday’s dramatic race. Steven Odendaal lost his chance at taking the title fight to Indonesia, after the Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team rider was taken out of contention at Turn 1. Meanwhile, GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Jules Cluzel completed his first-ever double victory in the championship.
With pole position, fastest lap and a pair of wins, Cluzel enjoyed a perfect weekend at the Circuito San Juan Villicum. The French rider won by almost five seconds on Saturday, but had to fight hard with the Kawasaki of Can Oncu in Race 2. Cluzel was able to edge clear in the closing stages to take his fourth win at the Argentinian venue.
Aegerter headed into this weekend with a 54-point lead in the championship, but could only manage fifth in Race 1, finishing just behind title rival Odendaal. The Swiss rider now needed to outscore Odendaal by two points on Sunday, and after the South African fell at Turn 1, it all-but guaranteed that the 2021 rookie would be crowned champion. He fought to a third-place finish, his 14th podium of the season, and became Yamaha’s ninth and the team’s 10th WorldSSP champion.
After being collected at Turn 1, Odendaal was still able to pick up his bike and continue, but while making his way back into the points-paying places, the 28-year-old fell and was forced to return to the pits with damage.
ParkinGO Yamaha’s Manuel Gonzalez had qualified in third on Saturday, and fought his way through to a second-place finish in Race 1, his seventh podium of the season. In Race 2, however, he lost the front on the way into Turn 1 and collected Odendaal’s bike. The Spanish youngster was able to continue and climbed back to a 10th-place finish.
Kallio Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Hannes Soomer was 12th in Race 1, but was able to score his best result since returning from injury, finishing fourth in Sunday’s race. Evan Bros Yamaha’s Peter Sebestyen also enjoyed his strongest weekend yet, with eighth on Saturday and fifth in Race 2.
GMT94 Yamaha’s Valentin Debise was sixth in both races, finishing ahead of Kallio Racing Yamaha’s Vertti Takala in Race 2. The Estonian also managed his best WorldSSP weekend to date, with 10th on Saturday and seventh on Sunday.
Ten Kate Yamaha’s Leonardo Taccini was 11th in Race 2, while Yamaha MS Racing’s Unai Orradre scored a pair of points finishes, with 13th in yesterday’s contest and 14th on Sunday.
Dominique Aegerter: World Champion
Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team
“The first world title is amazing to get. It’s difficult to analyse right now, I can’t wait to celebrate with the team. I’ve waited at least 25 years to be world champion, now I am. It wasn’t easy, I’ve been working hard but I’m so happy to have achieved this goal. I didn’t feel the pressure, I was focused and pushing every lap in the second race just to get the best result I could. I lost many places at the start but my goal was to fight for the podium. I had the information that P4 was OK, but for me it wasn’t OK, so I built a gap. The last lap was an emotional lap and when I go over the line, I am world champion. I knew the title would be possible from the moment I signed the contract with the Ten Kate Yamaha team. They are very successful, the Yamaha R6 is very successful, and I could see how much the whole crew, both at the track and back in the workshop, were working towards the championship. Thank you to everyone, I am just super happy.”
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“Congratulations to Dominique and Ten Kate Yamaha for the first title with us. Dominique has been impressive, he won 10 races and has dominated the championship to the point where he has won the title with one event to go, despite missing two race in Barcelona. He was able to manage the championship and stay calm, which shows how strong he is mentally and highlights his commitment. Our sport is about working as a team, and without a strong team it’s impossible to achieve good results. Ten Kate Yamaha are an important partner for us and have done an amazing job.”
