Can Oncu won FIM Supersport World Championship Race One Saturday at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portugal. Riding his Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team YZF R9, the Turkish rider won the 17-lap race by 0.836 seconds.
Stefano Manzi was the runner-up on his Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing YZF- R6, just 0.931 second ahead of third-place finisher Bo Bendsneyder, who rode a MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR.
Former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise crossed the finish line 8th on his Renzi Corse Ducati Panigale V2.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
ONCU STAYS HOT: Race 1 goes to the Turkish youngster for his first win since 2023. Oncu brings home Yamaha’s 150th WorldSSP win from Portimao’s Race 1, followed by Manzi and Bendsneyder
Racing action is underway at Portimao in the Pirelli Portuguese Round! The FIM Supersport World Championship grid took to the track after Friday afternoon’s Tissot Superpole session which featured Turkish rider Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) win his career-first WorldSSP pole; and in Saturday’s Race 1 he followed that up with his first win in 2 years and 25 days, earned in 2023’s Indonesian Round Race 1. Following him onto the rostrum for P2, Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) gained time on the Turkish rider as he managed to hold off a surging Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who had prior overtaken Lucas Mahias (GMT94-Yamaha) for P3.
ONCU’S 2nd EVER WIN IN 101st start: First win since Indonesia’s Race 1 in 2023
Oncu claimed the holeshot from pole position and quickly stretched his margin to establish a commanding lead, 2.658s ahead of Manzi in P2 by Lap 8. Manzi and Lucas Mahias (GMT94-Yamaha) were glued to one another for the first 10 laps, the two veterans battling with one another as they both tried to make time on Oncu in the distance ahead of them. After putting distance between him and the rest of the pack, Bendsneyder closed down the Yamaha pair in P2 and P3. He passed both Manzi and Mahias in consecutive laps before the #62 brushed hm back out of the way to claim P2 on Lap 14. Manzi from there staved off the Dutchman to secure second, earning his 44th WorldSSP podium, equaling Fabian Foret for third in all time podiums. Bendsneyder, who started the race in P5, locked down P3 to taste the prosecco for the 3rd time in WorldSSP.
TOUGH BREAK FOR MAHIAS: Tom Booth-Amos surges up from P12 to take P5 finish
Mahias’ P4 finish was a disappointing result for the Frenchman who had spent the majority of his race battling with Manzi for P2. Lap 11 saw Bendsneyder slip past Mahias at Turn 1, a position he wasn’t able to recover and had to settle for P4. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) took P5, a hard-fought race for Australia’s Race 2 winner in which he had to pull free of a tight pack of riders after starting back in P12. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) found himself amid the same melee for P5 with Booth-Amos, Debise, Masia and others, from which he was able to take a P6 as the pack spread out late in the race.
MASIA AND DEBISE BATTLE AGAIN: P7 for Masia, P8 for Debise
Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was forced to take a long lap penalty at Turn 14, which he took on Lap 3, for his irresponsible riding incident in Australia where he collided with the rear of Valentin Debise’s (Renzi Corse) bike. He went on to finish P7. Debise began the race in P8, aggressively entering corners to take positions throughout the race, however the tactic on several occasions backfired, running wide and losing hard-fought positions as a result. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) took home a P9 finish from Race 1 in Portimao, dropping down from P4 where he began the race.
AZMAN, VOSTATEK DNF: Toba crashed but returned to take P27
Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) quickly recovered from a Turn 3 spill in Lap 7, going on to finish in P27. Syarifuddin Azman (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) was forced to retire in Lap 10, registering a DNF alongside Ondrej Vostatek (WRP Racing).
The top six from the WorldSSP Race 1: Full results here!
1. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.836s
3. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.767s
4. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +3.801s
5. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +9.630s
6. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) +9.888s
Fastest lap: Can Oncu, Yamaha – 1’43.251s
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