Vannucci fastest on the opening day of the Pirelli Dutch Round

Matteo Vannucci set the fastest time of Friday’s combined classifications with a 1’49.529s posted in late FP2. The Italian rider led Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez and Samuel Di Sora.

Day one of 2023 for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship concluded at the TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round with very little to separate the field after Friday’s two intense practice sessions. Three tenths were all that kept the top six apart in the combined classification as Italian rider Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) topped the times with a late lap in Free Practice 2 as he topped the times in both FP2 as well as the combined classification.

Vannucci posted a 1’45.529s on his final lap to move into top spot for the day’s action as he finished three tenths clear of Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) in second with the Spanish rider also leaving it late to post his best time. It meant the pair leapfrogged Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) and demoted the French rider to third place after he soared to top spot with around seven minutes remaining in the session.

German rider Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) took fourth spot as the lead KTM rider on Friday on his KTM RC 390 R machine, finishing less than a tenth ahead of Dutch rookie Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) in fifth. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) took sixth after enjoyed a strong Friday, finishing less than a tenth behind Perez Gonzalez in second.

WorldSSP300 action resumes on Saturday with the Tissot Superpole from 09:45 (Local Time), followed Race 1 at 12:40.

P1 | Matteo Vannucci| AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha | 1’49.529s
“This morning, I didn’t feel very well with the bike, and I was a bit bothered. We were able to solve the technical issue for FP2, so I tried to my best and I was able to take first place. I didn’t know I was the fastest until I was back in my box. I’m happy; I think tomorrow we can be competitive. I will try to give my best with my goal set on the Championship.”

WorldSSP300 Combined Results after FP2
1. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) 1’49.529s
2. Jose Luis Perez (Accolade Smrz Racing) +0.284s
3. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.296s
4. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +0.304s
5. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.318s
6. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) +0.332s

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