Vannucci holds off Geiger in thrilling battle for Race 1 win

In WorldSSP300 Race 1 at Imola, Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) secured an emotional home victory, holding off Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) by a slim margin of 0.090s.

It was Vannucci’s third WorldSSP300 win and his sixth podium finish. The race featured a intense battle between Vannucci and Geiger, who broke away from the chasing pack and remained nose-to-tail throughout the race.

Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) claimed the third spot on the podium, while Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) finished just two tenths behind in fourth.

Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) took fifth place, and Kevin Sabatucci (Flembbo – PI Performances) secured sixth position. Notably, Marc Garcia (China Racing Team) scored Kove’s first WorldSSP300 points, finishing in eighth place.

WorldSSP300 Race 1 Results
1. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha)
2. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +0.090s
3. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) +10.392s
4. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +10.609s
5. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) +11.161s
6. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flemmbo-PI Performances) +11.719s

WorldSSP300 Championship standings
1. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) 95 points
2. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) 91 points
3. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) 87 points

WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole Results
1. Dirk Geiger | KTM | 2’06.455
2. Matteo Vannucci | Yamaha | +0.369s
3. Petr Svoboda | Kawasaki | +0.421s

P1 | Matteo Vannucci | AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha
“It’s a fantastic win, but the race was so difficult due to the high asphalt temperature, which caused the bike to slide in the corners. But I enjoyed the race. We had a big fight with Geiger, and I enjoyed it too. In the last lap, I went inside the corner sliding, and Dirk passed me, but I managed to recover and take first position. So, I’m so happy, and I hope we’ll be able to repeat tomorrow. Thanks to my team who gave me a perfect bike, to my fans and sponsors who came here to support me.”

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