Sixth win of the season for Montella
From fourth on the grid Adrian Huertas made a bad start and dropped to seventh position on the opening lap.
The championship leader struggled throughout the race and eventually finished in fifth position as he was unable to progress through the lead group
Having started from the front row of the grid Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) made a strong start but running wide at Turn 12 and Turn 15 on Lap 2 dropped him to fifth position. As he made progress through the lead group the combative Italian came past Valentin Debise and Can Oncu on consecutive laps. It was in the second half of the race where Montella showed his speed. Taking the lead on Lap 8 from Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) Montella immediately set the fastest lap of the race as he opened a gap that at the end of the 15 lap race was almost two seconds to the field. The victory was his sixth of the season.
Starting from pole position Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) led for the opening third of the race. An aggressive overtaking move by Navarro saw contact between the two on the run to Turn 15 and on the final lap Manzi was able to come back past his rival and claim the tenth second place finish of his season.
A final corner move by Navarro saw him come past Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) for his second podium of the season.
Championship standings
Huertas now holds a 41 point advantage over Montella in the standings with Manzi five points further back. Huertas can claim the title at the next round of the championship.
Debise has taken command of fourth in the standings to sit 14 points ahead of Marcel Schroetter with four races remaining.
P1 | Yari Montella
“It was a perfect way to end the weekend. Yesterday, we lost a podium finish when I was fighting with Stefano and Valentin. Today I needed to focus on getting to the front and being able to set my pace. I knew that this was our best option to win. The start of the race was a bit crazy but I stayed focused. My goal is to arrive at the final day of the season in Jerez on the final Sunday and to still be fighting for the championship. It’s not easy in Supersport but we need to remain focused on the bike’s setup and try to find the right direction from the start of each weekend. Estoril is a good track for me. I like it and I have good memories there. It should be a fun way to finish the championship.”
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +1.907s
3. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +2.132s
4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +2.208s
5. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +2.789s
6. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) +4.078s
Championship Standings
1. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 370 points
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 329 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 324 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
