MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

World Supersport opens the racing for 2025, with Yamaha replacing the R6 with a 890cc triple, the R9. Stefano Manzi is the only rider from the top three last year to be competing this year. The track is so abrasive on tyres that there is a mandated pitstop and a ten lap limit on tyres in the eighteen lap race. A minimum of 78 seconds must be taken in the pit stop, with the time cut multiplied by five as a penalty where applicable.

Bo Bendsneyder started from pole position on his MV Agusta, ahead of Tom Booth-Amos on a Triumph and the veteran Lucas Mahias on the new Yamaha R9, but it was Can Oncu who hit turn one first ahead of Mahias, Jaume Masia, Manzi, Booth-Amos, Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Bendsneyder.

Oncu led Mahias and Masia over the line after one lap and all three went into turn one three bikes wide. Mahias had the inside line and led until Oncu surprised him into turn eight.

Can Oncu set a 1'33.669 on lap two as the leading three were joined my Stefano Manzi as Valentin Debise set a 1'32.926 in ninth place. Manzi carried his momentum to take the lead on lap two.

Lap four, the leading five riders, Masia, Manzi, Booth-Amos, Oncu and Mahias, swapped places back and forth with Masia leading. Manzi took over at the start of lap five as Mahias dropped out of the leading group and Marcel Schroetter joined them. Oncu and Manzi led at the start of lap seven as Michael Ruben Rinaldi parked his bike at the exit of the pits with a mechanical issue. Manzi bumped Oncu out of the way to take the lead to let Masia through to second.

Lap eight opened the pit window and one second covered six riders with Schroetter joining the lead group, and Masia, Booth-Amos and Schroetter pitted in at the end of lap eight with Manzi, Oncu and Debise pitting in a lap later.

The live timing then turned into a mess until a lap passed and the dust settled. Jaume Masia came out of the scramble on top, but his pit time was under investigation. Can Oncu started lap eleven a tenth of a second behind Masia with Manzi eight tenths of a second further back. Debise was a second further back with Booth-Amos and Schroetter. Oncu took the lead to start lap twelve with Manzi closing the gap and passing Masia to close up on Oncu and pass him halfway round the lap. Masia took the lead on paper with six laps left, but he was handed out a three and a half second penalty.

Penalties were also handed out to Mahias and Bendsneyder, with Bendsneyder retaliating with a fastest lap of 1'32.643.

Manzi passed Masia for the lead into turn one of lap fourteen with Schroetter and Oncu within half a second, with Booth-Amos passing Oncu at the end of the lap.

With three laps left, Manzi led Masia, Schroetter and Booth-Amos. Oncu was seven tenths further back. Masia took the lead at the start of the penultimate lap, but Manzi, unaware of Masia's penalty, fought back to take the lead until Masia's Ducati took the lead down the straight. Schroetter overcooked the first turn of the last lap and fell off the leading three riders as Booth-Amos scrapped with Masia and Manzi.

Manzi backed it into turn ten for the lead and he held it from Masia until the flag. Marcel Schroetter crossed the line in fourth behind Tom Booth-Amos. Bo Bendsneyder held off Can Oncu on the last lap, getting promoted to fourth place after penalties were counted.

Stefano Manzi took the victory on the Yamaha R9's debut. With the penalties taken in to account, Tom Booth-Amos and Marcel Schroetter rounded out the podium as Jaume Masia was punted down to sixth place. Bo Bendsneyder held onto fourth place in spite of his penalty, holding enough of a lead over Can Oncu to hold his place.

The grid for race two was determined by the fastest laps, Bo Bendsneyder taking pole ahead of Marcel Schroetter and Stefano Manzi on the front row. Tom Booth-Amos, Valentin Debise and Lucas Mahias making up the second row ahead of Xavi Cardelus, Oli Baylis and Can Oncu.

Four different bikes in the top four once again demonstrate that the Next Generation rules are working. The Yamaha R6 took the last win of 2024 and the R9 took the first of 2025.

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