Can Öncü claimed pole position on Friday afternoon in the World Supersport class at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. The Turkish rider was by far the fastest in the Superpole session on the Portuguese circuit, securing the fifth WorldSSP pole of his career. Teammate Yuki Okamoto qualified in 24^th place.

Under sunny and pleasant conditions, the second round of the FIM Supersport World Championship got underway on Friday at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. As Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing had recently tested at the Portuguese circuit, Can Öncü and Yuki Okamoto were immediately on the pace. After the morning’s free practice, they went all out in the Superpole session held in the afternoon.

Öncü lived up to his status as favorite and set a phenomenal 1’42.670 lap time to take his first pole position of the season. The Turkish rider had a comfortable margin of more than 0.6 seconds over the rest of the field, showing that he and the Yamaha R9 are a very strong combination.

Yuki Okamoto recorded the 24^th fastest lap time in the qualifying session, which was interrupted for a long time due to a large oil spill. As a result, the Japanese rider was unable to improve his position at the end of the session.

Can Öncü (P1 – 1’42,670):
“I am very happy. The first round of the year in Australia was very difficult for us, the team and I didn’t really have enough to get to know each other. However, after the first weekend I started to understand a lot more and changed my approach. After all, they beat me last year so I have to listen to them, I have listened, adapted my style and now I feel very good on the bike so I am excited for tomorrow’s first race. During the test that we did I adapted to the team’s way of working and now we’re back in the first position so that couldn’t be better. It is still just the start of the season so we shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves, just to enjoy riding is the most important thing at the moment.”

Yuki Okamoto (P29 – 1’45,908 | +0,489):
“It was a bit difficult for me today. The track conditions were different compared to two weeks ago and we struggled with the grip level. Finally, I had a better understanding of how to ride this track so I expect to be able to make a big step tomorrow. I will do my best to score points tomorrow.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a perfect qualifying with a new pole record and pole position for Can. The execution went according to plan, as we already knew we were fast and consistent, but I didn’t expect such a lap time. He put in a fantastic lap, and his improvement in race pace is also impressive, so everything is in place on his side for a strong race tomorrow.

Yuki’s qualifying also went better than in Australia, so we’re continuing that upward trend. We can see that he has improved compared to the test, so he is also ready to have a good race tomorrow and aim for the points. The team is ready to race in good conditions, and we are all very much looking forward to it.”

After a warm-up session in the morning, the first World Supersport race over seventeen laps at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal will get underway on Saturday afternoon at 14:00 local time (15:00 Central European time).

No points on Saturday for Ten Kate Racing

The Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team failed to score any points on Saturday at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. In the first World Supersport race of the weekend, Yuki Okamoto crossed the line in 22^nd place, while Can Öncü finished 25^th after an early crash.

After a strong Friday, expectations were high for the opening World Supersport race in Portimão. Starting from pole position, Öncü got off the line well and looked set to live up to his role as a favourite, until he crashed in the second lap. Fortunately, the Turkish rider was uninjured and was able to pick up his Yamaha R9 and continue, but a strong result was no longer possible. Öncü will have to start Race 2 from tenth place on the grid.

Teammate Okamoto lost several positions after a difficult start and was unable to recover them during the race. He eventually finished in 22^nd place, and the Japanese rider will once again start Race 2 from 24^th on the grid.

Yuki Okamoto (P22 | +35,902):
“It was a very tough race for me. I made multiple mistakes and couldn’t follow the pace of the riders ahead of me. I will continue to work and try some new things to improve for tomorrow. Together with the team I will analyse today’s race and make sure we are better prepared for tomorrow.”

Can Öncü (P25 | +37,928):
“I made a small mistake early in the race, but managed to recover. Unfortunately it cost us a lot, but after that we rode a strong race and our pace was very good. I am looking forward to tomorrow’s Race 2 and hopefully we can bring home a strong result.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a disappointing day for us today. We had high expectations for both Can and Yuki, but unfortunately neither rider was able to perform as we had hoped. Can crashed early in the race and, with a damaged bike, was unable to fight back into the points. Yuki made good progress after a mediocre start, but because of that start he couldn’t move much further forward. In short, the whole team has work to do. Nevertheless, this is what we as Ten Kate Racing are strong at, and we will once again do our best to perform better in Race 2. We will work on the details, and tomorrow both riders will be back on the grid feeling fresh.”

The second World Supersport race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve will start on Sunday afternoon at 14:00 local time (15:00 Central European). Please note: Daylight saving time will begin overnight, and the clocks will move forward by one hour.

Oncu finishes 8th and Okamoto 21st in challenging Race 2

Can Öncü finished eighth on Sunday afternoon in Race 2 of the World Supersport class at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Starting from tenth on the grid, the Turkish rider was unable to challenge for the podium positions. Teammate Yuki Okamoto finished 21st.

After Race 1 on Saturday in Portimão ended without points, the motivation was high to come back stronger in the second World Supersport race on Sunday. Starting from tenth on the grid, Öncü got off to a good start and moved up to sixth place, but he would lose several positions early in the race. Towards the end, the Turkish rider was involved in an intense battle but ultimately had to settle for eighth place. After two race weekends, Öncü has 30 points to his name and is also eighth in the World Supersport championship standings.

Starting from 24th on the grid, it was also a challenging race for Okamoto. The Japanese rider maintained a consistent pace and had to work hard to defend his position. In the end, Okamoto crossed the finish line in 21st place.

Can Öncü (P8 | +7,619):
“These were not the results we wanted from this race weekend, we can only be happy with the points we scored. Now I am looking forward to the team’s home round in Assen and we have to work very hard to get better results there. I am confident we will so I want to say thanks to the team as they are working hard all weekend.”

Yuki Okamoto (P21 | +28,363):
“It was a tough race but I feel a bit more positive compared to yesterday. I had a good pace towards the end of the race and I was able to try some new things. I will keep working like this and stay focused for the next round in Assen.

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a disappointing result today in Portimão. Yuki finished 21st, and although that’s not the position we hope for together, he did ride a good and strong race. His fastest lap times came towards the end, and he managed to win several battles, so we need to carry that momentum forward. We hope to find some more improvement with him ahead of the Assen weekend.

“With Can, we ultimately achieved disappointing results, especially considering he took pole position on Friday with a lap record. If you then go home without a podium finish, you can only conclude that it has been a disappointing weekend, so both the team and Can need to go back to the drawing board and see how we can improve this.”

Fortunately, we have a two-day test next week at the TT Circuit Assen, where we’ll have the opportunity to prepare for a very special anniversary weekend. Naturally, we want to celebrate that with strong results on track.”

The next round of the FIM Supersport World Championship will take place during the weekend of April 17–19 at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands.