Manzi qualifies second for WorldSSP race in Cremona, Van Straalen is fifteenth

Stefano Manzi has qualified in second position for the first World Supersport race at the Cremona Circuit on Friday afternoon. Teammate Glenn van Straalen had a more difficult day, finishing 15^th in the Superpole session. Despite that, both Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing riders showed that they have good race pace.

On Friday, the first day of the Italian World Superbike round was completed at the Cremona Circuit. After rain during the night the track was not completely dry on Friday morning, making conditions far from ideal. In free practice, Stefano Manzi rode the fifth fastest time while Glenn van Straalen finished in 18^th place after a small crash.

In the afternoon, the Superpole session was on the programme and fortunately conditions had clearly improved. Manzi was very strong and managed to continually improve his lap time. With a 1’31.776 he qualified second, giving the Italian a good starting position for the first race on Saturday afternoon.

Van Straalen managed to ride a consistent and good pace during the Superpole session but lacked an explosive lap. With a 1’32.603 as fastest lap time, just 1.1 seconds away from pole position, the Dutchman will have to start Saturday afternoon’s first race of the weekend from fifteenth on the grid.

Stefano Manzi – P2:“It was quite a good day. This morning, the track wasn’t completely dry but we could still ride with slicks. We found out that we had to change our setting because the conditions are very different compared to the test earlier this year. In Superpole I was able to improve my lap time significantly and I am happy about that. It’s not pole position but it was a good session so we are ready for tomorrow.”

Glenn van Straalen – P15:“It was a tricky start this morning with the track not yet completely dry. I had a small crash which meant we lost some track time when the conditions were better. In the Superpole session I managed to set a good pace, which is positive for race distance, but that one fast lap was not coming out. With fifteenth place on the grid, we are therefore making it difficult for ourselves again in Race 1 but we will do our best tomorrow anyway.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:“The first day in Cremona is done. Stefano rode a very impressive qualifying session and was immediately fast from free practice in the morning. He was able to continue that pace in the afternoon and managed to further improve his lap time in each run, with that he was also a lot faster than during the test. His race pace is also excellent so he is ready to fight for the top positions tomorrow and Sunday.

Glenn struggled a bit today after a small crash in free practice. As a result you fall behind, including tyre usage in qualifying. It meant that in the Superpole session he couldn’t get a very strong lap time as a result. We will have to start the first race tomorrow from a challenging position, but we have done that before this year and with this he can still command a good starting position for Sunday’s race. I am confident on both sides of the pit box that we can have two good races this weekend.”

Manzi takes second place as Van Straalen crashes

Stefano Manzi finished second in the first World Supersport race at the Cremona Circuit in Italy on Saturday afternoon. The Italian managed to maximise his performance on his Yamaha YZF-R6 against the Next Generation machines and secured his 12^th podium finish of the season. Glenn van Straalen managed to get to the front in the early stages of the race but crashed out on lap 10.

After Manzi qualified second on Friday afternoon, another tough challenge awaited the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider on Saturday afternoon. After the start, the Italian fell back to third place behind his two title rivals where he would remain until the 14^th lap.

It was clear that Manzi was faster than his rival in front of him but on the narrow Cremona Circuit it proved to be very difficult to overtake. He finally managed to do so on the fifteenth lap with a brave overtaking move after which he managed to secure second place. It is the twelfth podium finish in seventeen races for Manzi, including eight second places. Thanks to his lap time in Race 1, Manzi will again start from second place in Race 2.

From fifteenth on the grid, Glenn had already climbed to tenth position after four laps. The Dutchman had the positions ahead of him in sight but crashed out halfway through the race, bringing his race to an early end. Van Straalen still rode the 10^th fastest lap time in the race but unfortunately that does not earn him a better starting place for Race 2.

Stefano Manzi – P2:“It was a very good race, even though I struggled a bit more than I expected. The temperature was the highest it had been all weekend, and until the race the bike felt good. Then, during the race, I felt some chatter in the first few laps but fortunately it felt better as the race went on. I was able to close the gap to Yari and but had to do many laps behind him, as I was searching for a place to pass him. In the end I created my own overtaking spot and managed to take the second place off him. I am not happy with the result because I was not in the fight for the victory, but it’s still a good result for us.”

Glenn van Straalen – DNF:“I felt a lot better in the warm-up this morning and we knew our pace for the race was better than where we qualified. I had gained some positions in the early stages of the race but unfortunately it came to an early end because of a crash. That’s very unfortunate and for Race 2 too, we unfortunately failed to improve our starting position. So tomorrow I have to start from fifteenth again but I expect to be able to get towards the front like I did today.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:“Stefano performed to his maximum again today in Cremona. After a very strong qualifying session, in which he finished second, he once again showed that he is by far the fastest Supersport 600 rider. We simply came up short on the factory Ducati which does seem to have a bit more speed than the others. We will obviously leave no stone unturned tonight to see if we can still find something so that we can fight again tomorrow. The differences are small and something can always happen during a race, so we’ll again go on the attack tomorrow.

For Glenn, it was unfortunately a short race due to a crash. He came from a difficult starting position on a narrow track which unfortunately prevented him from setting a lap time that would have allowed him to start from the first nine places in Race 2. So we will have to start the race from the same starting position tomorrow with him, and we will try to take home a few points so that we can come back stronger at Aragon next week.”

Manzi takes convincing World Supersport victory at home round in Cremona

Stefano Manzi has won the second World Supersport race at the Cremona Circuit on Sunday afternoon. The Italian took over the lead in the second half of the race and then managed to build a comfortable lead. This gave him his second win of the year and he therefore decreased his deficit to the leader in the championship. Glenn van Straalen scored one point by finishing fifteenth.

After finishing second in the Superpole session and second in Race 1, Stefano Manzi and Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing wanted more in Race 2 at the Cremona Circuit. After a good start, the Italian was immediately able to keep up with his title rivals and managed to put the pressure on. It resulted in a mistake from his compatriot after which Manzi took over the lead in the race. Slowly but surely, he managed to create a gap to world championship leader Adrián Huertas after which he eventually crossed the finish line as the dominant winner.

It is the second victory of the season for Manzi and his sixth World Supersport win in the colours of Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing. The Italian has now achieved thirteen podium finishes in eighteen races and a total of 284 points behind his name. This puts him 50 points behind the world championship leader with three rounds to go, in which there is still a maximum of 150 points to be earned.

Glenn van Straalen had a difficult second race and immediately lost several positions in the opening phase. As the race progressed, the Dutchman managed to make up some more places, eventually scoring one point in fifteenth place. With 127 points, Van Straalen is currently eighth in the championship.

Stefano Manzi – P1: “It’s a fantastic feeling to finally take a victory again. It was a different race compared to yesterday because I was closer to the front in the beginning, but I was struggling with rear grip. After some laps I was still close, riding my own pace and feeling confident with the bike. I saw that Yari was pushing very hard but he made a little mistake and crashed. After that point I still had Adrián behind me so I tried to escape. I was able to ride my own pace and managed to slowly but surely build a gap. Finally I managed to take a comfortable win and it feels amazing. Yesterday I was a bit frustrated to not be in the fight for the victory but now we did it, I am very happy about it. The championship isn’t impossible but the last three rounds need to be perfect from our side.”

Glenn van Straalen – P15: “In the end, it was a very difficult weekend. We did have the speed but at the beginning of the race I was hit by another rider, which caused my arm to hurt and as a result I dropped way back. I couldn’t ride my own pace because of that and that made it very difficult. I think we can be better again next week in Aragon.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager: “We end the weekend in Cremona with a great win by Stefano in Race 2. This was a perfect race from him with a good start and then a very strong pace. He had a flawless weekend and managed to get the most out of the package. Of course we are extremely happy and proud of that, also the team worked hard to make this possible. Unfortunately, on the other side of the pit box it was a weekend to forget, but those happen sometimes as well. We will recover and try again at Motorland Aragón, a circuit where both riders are fast.”

The World Superbike paddock travels straight from Cremona to Spain where next weekend, from 27 to 29 September, the tenth round of the 2024 championship will be held at Motorland Aragón.