So far this season, World Supersport has had a refreshing air of unpredictability, the likes it hasn’t seen for several years. So far this season, Stefano Manzi, Tom Booth-Amos, Can Oncu, and Bo Bendsneyder have all stood atop the podium.
Not since 2018 has the class had four different winners in its first four races of a season.
Between the four winners, Yamaha, Triumph and MV Agusta have all seen the top step. However, most notably, Ducati is missing from the list of manufacturers to win a race this year. This comes as something of a surprise, especially as Ducati have won the championship for the last two seasons.
WRP Ducati’s Marcel Schrotter heads into round three as the highest-placed Ducati rider, currently sitting sixth in the championship. The next best Ducati rider is Jaume Masia, who has the best of sixth place. In fact – aside from Schrotter’s podium in the opening race, Ducati have only one other top-five finish. Valentin Debise is the only other rider to crack the top five this season, the Frenchman scoring a best of fifth in race two at Portimao.
We are only two rounds into the year – but there are already signs of a powershift between factories within the class. There is no doubt that we will likely see Ducati on top of the podium again this season; however, whilst the Italian firm re-finds its footing, it has allowed others to emerge as the factories to beat.
Yamaha is undoubtedly the brand that has filled the boots of Ducati so far this season. Since debuting their new R9, Yamaha has taken victory in both Phillip Island and Portimao. Moreover, the Iwata factory locked out the front row last weekend and looked set to win both races before Can Oncu crashed out of the lead in race two.
The arrival of the R9 has seemingly removed any advantage once held by Ducati. Moreover, with MV Agusta now no longer having a rev cap, it has brought more variety to the front of the grid.
It appears that Ducati has been somewhat caught off guard in terms of development compared to its rivals. Their efforts have not been helped by their factory rider Phillip Ottl, injuring himself and being forced to miss the season opener.
Although the racing in Portimao wasn’t quite as close as in Australia, it wasn’t without its fair share of drama. Can Oncu, crashing out of a comfortable lead, opened the door for the chasing pack to pick up the pieces. For several laps, there were several riders, all within a shout for victory until Bo Bendsneyder took the opportunity to clear off into the lead.
The championship heads to Assen in two weeks for the third round. Assen has a history of producing close and unpredictable racing, and if the opening two rounds are anything to go by – we could be in for a scorcher.
Photography: Tom Crawford
