Starting from the front row, Can Oncu claimed a dominant first Supersport victory by more than three seconds in Race 1 at Mandalika.
Federico Caricasulo took second place in Race 1 finishing 3.305s behind Oncu. Niki Tuuli completed Race 1 top three, clinching his first podium with Triumph. Nicolo Bulega couldn’t turn his first pole position into a podium finish as he concluded Race 1 in fifth place.
It was a dramatic Race 1 in the FIM Supersport World Championship at Mandalika as Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) blasted off from the start to claim his first WorldSSP win during the Motul Indonesian Round. Oncu started from the front row and, with drops of rain falling at the start of the race, moved clear to win by more than three seconds for his first win at the 65th time of asking. Rain started falling before the start of the race, but all riders opted to stay with slick tyres, with the rain not getting harder during the 18-lap race.
At the start of the race, Oncu took the lead on the opening lap after starting from third place and from there he did not look back. The Turkish star, now in his fourth WorldSSP campaign, was able to use a combination of his pace and his rivals battling behind him to take victory by more than three seconds for his first WorldSSP win.
The battle behind Oncu was an incredible fight between Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) and Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) with the pair consistently changing positions. Caricasulo was able to resist Tuuli’s pressure throughout the closing stages of the race before pulling a gap over the Finnish rider to take his 28th WorldSSP podium, while Tuuli took his tenth podium in the Championship, his first one with Triumph.
The battle for fourth was just as fierce as the battle for second between Raffaele De Rose (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) as three manufacturers battled hard. The battle ended when Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), who closed the gap as the riders in front battled hard, collided with van Straalen at Turn 16 with the Dutchman going down before re-joining. It meant Schroetter took fourth spot at the end of the race ahead of Bulega in fifth, while De Rosa had been running in fifth before a puncture dropped him down the order before he retired from the race.
WorldSSP Race 1 Results
1. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
2. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +3.305s
3. Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) +4.172s
4. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +7.813s
5. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +11.558s
6. Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) +20.218s
WorldSSP Championship standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 61 points
2. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 41 points
3. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 39 points
WorldSSP Tissot Superpole Results
1. Nicolo Bulega / Ducati / 1’35.520s
2. Federico Caricasulo / Ducati / +0.003s
3. Can Oncu / Kawasaki / +0.092s
P1 | Can Oncu| Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
“I’m so happy. Phillip Island was very difficult. We came here and yesterday we didn’t have a good pace and we said ‘let’s just go for it’, and today we did it. It’s incredible. I want to thanks Kenan, he called me yesterday and told me ‘Can, you have to do it!’. I finally have my first win with Kawasaki, I’m so happy.
To be honest, in the first lap I managed a one second gap. I just wanted to try to stay constant and do make mistake. I wasn’t on the limit, I was under my pace, because I didn’t want to finish the tyre as I always do. I was so comfortable with my bike. My dream was to win a race and I achieve it today. I’m even more motivated. We have to keep working hard and try to get more good results.”
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