WorldSSP: Having been handed a three-place grid penalty yesterday Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory) started from sixth position but came back to win the opening Supersport race of the weekend.
Less than one second separated the podium finishers at the flag and Debise was forced to dig deep in the closing stages. The Frenchman set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap to claim the win by six tenths of a second.
Having started from pole position, Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) led three laps but ended the race under pressure from Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team). It was a fourth consecutive podium for Oncu and a seventh of the season for the championship leader Arenas.
Starting from the fourth row of the grid made for a difficult day for title contender Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura). The Spaniard came through to finish in fourth position and he’ll start Race 2 from second on the grid courtesy of his personal best lap of the race.
The Race 2 grid will feature Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) on the second row of the grid. The Yamaha rider led a lap and spent much of the race in podium contention before a technical failure led to his retirement. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) was a Turn 1 crasher in the early stages of the race but the British rider will start from the third row tomorrow ahead of his teammate Oli Bayliss and Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team).
P1 – Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory)
“This was a very good race for me. I have struggled a little bit because since the start of the weekend we’ve been using a new tyre so the plan was to stay patient. I knew that the Yamaha riders would fight hard with each other and that’s exactly what happened. I found myself in the lead a bit unexpectedly and I felt really good at the front. It was not easy to pull away, but on the final lap I managed to improve my pace a little bit and create a small gap to secure the win. I’m very pleased with the job from ZX Moto once again. They always give me a very competitive bike at every round, so I want to thank them for that.”
Race 1 Results
1. Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory)
2. Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.639s
3. Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) +0.877s
4. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +1.760s
5. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +1.865s
6. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) +5.279s
Fastest Lap: Valentin Debise (ZXMOTO), 1’34.336s – New Track Record
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