Tuuli and Montella share the spoils

Race 1 Highlights
Following yesterday’s postponement of Race 1 the action took place as the opening race of the day over a 12 lap duration

Overnight rain left a narrow dry line on the Magny-Cours. The majority of the field started the race on dry weather tyres however Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) started on wet tyres. This gave the French fans a reason to cheer for the first half of the 12 lap race by leading the field. However, as the track dried the Number 53 was vulnerable to attack and eventually fell to tenth place.

Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) came through from the third row of the grid to claim his third victory in the Supersport World Championship. Taking the lead on Lap 7 he would take the chequered flag with a 2.9s margin of victory. The win was the first for the EAB Racing Team.

After switching to the MV Agusta this season Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) claimed the first podium of his season. The Italian continued his good run of form to make it five consecutive top six finishes.

It was a mixed race for the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing with Glenn van Straalen finishing on the podium in third position while his teammate Stefano Manzi crashed out in the early stages after hitting a damp patch at Turn 15.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results
1. Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team)
2. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +2.938s
3. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +3.248s
4. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +3.390s
5. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +4.121s
6. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +9.119s

P1 | Niki Tuuli | EAB Racing Team
“Unfortunately, the race was canceled yesterday. It was the right call to cancel the race because the visibility was terrible. I was a bit nervous for this race because I don’t like going using slick tires when the track is still wet. After the first lap, something clicked for me. I started going faster and faster because I felt really comfortable. My first win in Supersport was here in 2017, so it’s special to win here again. I’m really happy for the team and all our supporters.”

Race 2 Highlights
For the first time in WorldSSP history two races took place on the same day. With a dry track Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) started from sixth position but came through to lead on just the second lap. The Italian rider was attacked at two thirds distance by his compatriot, Stefano Manzi, who led momentarily in the closing stages. Montella though kept a cool head to retake the lead with three laps remaining and take the victory by one tenth of a second

Manzi claimed his 11th podium of the season to consolidate his third position in the championship standings. With four rounds remaining the Yamaha rider is 50 points behind Adrian Huertas

Huertas now leads the standings by 14 points from Montella but struggled in the closing stages with tyre consumption. The Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team rider finished fourth in Race 1 but was left to rue a small mistake at Turn 5 on the final lap meant that he settled for third position in Race 2

Fourth position marked a career best result for Tom Booth-Amos with the PTR Triumph rider ending a race long fight with Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) less than three tenths of a second behind

Key Points:
Race 1 winner: Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team)
Race 2 winner: Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
P1 | Yari Montella | Barni Spark Racing Team
“This was a great victory. It was possibly the most important race of the year because we had three riders fighting until the end. It wasn’t easy to manage this race because Adrian and Stefano have been very strong this season. We were able to set the pace in the first two laps and I opened a lead but I knew that they would have to push harder to close the gap. Maybe that’s why I was able to win today. We just need to stay focused now for the championship.”

WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.171s
3. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +1.380s
4. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) +12.230s
5. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +12.626s
6. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +14.148s

Championship Standings
1. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 289 points
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 275 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 239 points

For more info checkout our dedicated World Supersport News page superbike-news.co.uk/world-supersport/

Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com

©Words/Images are from official press release posted courtesy of <WorldSBK.com/a>