MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

The World Supersport championship was led by fifty five points with five races left including this one. Riders lined up under 25ºC weather with no wind.

Stefano Manzi took the lead ahead of Valentin Debise, Yari Montella and Can Oncu. Adrian Huertas had a bad start and ended lap one in sixth place. Manzi led Montella, Jorge Navarro, Debise and Oncu, Navarro making a move into turns one and two at the start of lap two rte pass Oncu and Debise.

Montella left the circuit and then had a slide, both incidents pushing him to seixth place, but a few aggressive passed put him back in fourth place and pushing Huertas back to sixth. Manzi set a 1'53.535 fastest lap on lap two.

Jorge Navarro set a 1'53.151 fastest lap on lap three behind Manzi but ahead of Montella. A lap later, Navarro and Montella both set fastest laps closing in on manzi, with Montella setting a 1'52.888, seven tenths quicker than Manzi in the lead.

Down the back straight of lap five, Manzi was able to keep ahead of the charging Ducatis but they were able to close up at the end of the lap, bringing Oncu with them. On lap six, a quarter of a second covered the podium places with Oncu just six tenths behind. Huertas took fifth place from Debise and closed on Oncu throughout lap six. At the end of the lap, Navarro finally passed Manzi into turn sixteen and Montella followed him into turn one, the three riders alongside each other into turn one with Manzi coming out last.

Huertas continued his charge, passing Oncu for fourth place with Debise following him. Montella tucked in behind Navarro round turn sixteen and slipped into the lead into turn one, with a bit of contact between the two in turn two. Montella got rabbit in his blood and started eking a gap in the front as Navarro had to defend against a hungry Manzi. Montella's hot lapping gave him a 1'52.874 fastest lap almost a second in the lead at the end of lap eight. Lap nine, Manzi passed Navarro into turn one and set about the almost a second lead in front of him.

Navarro took second place off Manzi as Huertas and Debise caught the leaders. Tom Booth-Amos, Federico Caricasulo and Lucas Mahias contested sixth place behind them.

Ten laps of fifteen down, Yari Montella led Jorge Navarro and Stefano Manzi by over a second as Huertas couldn't close any distance on the leaders. Manzi snuck under Navarro into turn seven and Debise passed Huertas behind them. Lap eleven, Montella set a 1'52.874 fastest lap over a second and a half ahead of Manzi and Navarro with Debise and Huertas closing up and Booth-Amos catching the fights ahead of him.

With three laps left, Montella had a decisive lead as Navarro snuck into second place down the back straight before the lap started, Navarro dangerously sweeping across Manzi's front, clipping Manzi's front tyre with his rear into turn sixteen. Navarro led Manzi and Debise round the lap.

The penultimate lap, Montella had a two second lead over Navarro, Manzi and Debise with Huertas and Booth-Amos a little behind. Valentin Debise started the last lap having set a new fastest lap in fourth place. Manzi hounded Navarro and passed him into turn five and Debise looked for his way through into a tight pass in turn seven. Montella closed on Debise down the last straight of the race, the pair slipstreaming Manzi, and the three crossed the line covered by three tenths of a second. Navarro passed under Debise who then tried to pass round the outside.

Yari Montella won almost two seconds clear of the fight for second with Stefano Manzi holding off Navarro and Debise. Adrian Huertas finished in fifth place, just over half a second off Debise, with Tom Booth-Amos over a second further back.

Yari Montella and Stefano Manzi, both starting the day fifty five points off the top spot, closed up a few points on Adrian Huertas in the championship fight, with Montella closing to within forty one points and Manzi forty six off the lead with four races remaining.

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