Adrian Huertas has his first opportunity at becoming the fifth different WorldSSP300 in the class’ fifth season, but will he hold his nerve?

The 2021 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship is at its first match-point of the season as the class heads to the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in Andalusia, Spain. After 12 races so far, Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) is the one who is staring down the barrel of his first World Championship and with main title rival Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) yet to be declared fit after his injuries in Catalunya’s Race 1, it is highly possible that Huertas could take the title. However, this is WorldSSP300, so nothing is ever guaranteed, and it could easily roll to the final round of the season at Portimao.

It’s been a stunning season for Adrian Huertas, the Spaniard leading the Championship standings comfortably and with a 43-point lead. He’s the only rider in WorldSSP300 history to have won five races in a season and has helped Kawasaki to a fourth Manufacturers’ title in the class in five years. Now, he could be Spain’s fourth Champion in WorldSSP300, however, if Tom Booth-Amos is declared fit ahead of action commencing, then the title will not be won on Saturday, as Huertas would need to sport a 75-point lead. However, if Booth-Amos is unfit, then although he could mathematically still take the title, he realistically wouldn’t be able to if Huertas leads by 50 points coming out of Saturday, as there’s nothing he can do to combat the deficit by being side-lined.

Then, there’s third-placed Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki), who could still mathematically win the title but must be inside the top three in the opening race to guarantee himself a chance of retaining his title, regardless of Huertas’ result. He is currently 65 points behind, meaning that he can’t give up more than ten points to teammate Huertas in Race 1. In fourth place, Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) maintains a mathematical chance but is 88 points back, meaning that he must be in the top three and outscore Huertas by 14 points. The Champion can only be one of the four riders in the top four placings in the Championship, and it is likely to be one of the top two – even more likely to be Huertas if Booth-Amos is declared unfit. Simply, regardless of anything else, if Huertas has a 50-point lead over Booth-Amos or a 51-point lead over Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) – although 50 will be enough if Buis doesn’t win either race – at the end of Sunday, he’s Champion.

3 key stats ahead of the Motul Spanish Round

5
Five winners for the five WorldSSP300 races run here since 2017: Galang Hendra Pratama (2017), Marc Garcia (2019/1), Manuel Gonzalez (2019/2), Unai Orradre (2020/1), Bahattinc Sofuoglu (2020/2).

2
Only two riders climbed on the podium 3 times here: Scott Deroue and Ana Carrasco.

2
The only manufacturers which won here are Yamaha (3 wins) and Kawasaki (2). They are also the only ones with podium finishes, with Kawasaki at 11 and Yamaha at 4.

Championship Standings (after Race 2, Round 9)
1. Adrian Huertas (ESP) Yamaha (201 points)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (GBR) Kawasaki (158 points)
3. Jeffrey Buis (NED) Kawasaki (136 points)

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