Öncü qualifies second at sunny Balaton Park Circuit, first experience for Okamoto

Can Öncü qualified second on Friday afternoon for the first World Supersport race at the Balaton Park Circuit. The Turkish rider was just two tenths short of pole position and mainly focused on working on his race pace. Yuki Okamoto got his first taste of the Hungarian circuit and qualified in 28^th place.

Under sunny and pleasant conditions, the Hungarian World Superbike round got underway on Friday at the Balaton Park Circuit. Can Öncü immediately found his speed in the morning and finished the free practice session with the third-fastest lap time. Teammate Yuki Okamoto completed his first laps on this challenging circuit and used the session to learn the track.

In the afternoon, the pace had to increase straight away during the Superpole session. Öncü set a 1’42.255 lap, securing second place on the grid for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon. This gives the Turkish rider an excellent starting position on the front row of the rather tight circuit, which features many chicanes.

Okamoto ended the day in 28^th place and managed to significantly reduce his gap to the fastest rider in the Superpole session. The weekend in Hungary will mainly be about learning for the Japanese rider, as almost all other competitors in the World Supersport class have already raced at this circuit before.

Can Öncü (P2 – 1’42,255 | +0,205):
“I am very happy with the first day here in Hungary. We have done a solid job and the bike was good. In Superpole we managed to improve ourselves even more so I am quite happy with the result. We just have to continue working for tomorrow’s race and improve some small things. The feeling and our pace is good, so I am looking forward to go racing tomorrow.”

Yuki Okamoto (P28 – 1’44,372 | +2,322):
“Today was quite a tough day for me. I made some improvements from Free Practice to Superpole but I still struggle to understand this track. I need to learn more about this circuit but for sure it will be better tomorrow. I will do my best.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a good day for us. Can qualified second, close to the pole-sitter. We mainly worked with him on race pace and making sure we are prepared down to the smallest details. Gradually, we can say that we are starting to find our momentum in this championship, and I have a lot of confidence for tomorrow’s race. Can is showing that his race pace is getting stronger every weekend, which was an area that needed improvement in the past.

Yuki is here for the first time, so you know it’s quite demanding. He improved in both sessions, but with such limited track time, he is simply lacking some speed. It’s important for him to get faster every session, and that’s the goal in order to close the gap to the top fifteen.

The whole team has done an excellent job, especially after such an intense weekend in Assen. So far, so good, and both riders are ready to race.”

Second consecutive podium finish for Öncü in hard-fought Race 1 at Balaton Park

Can Öncü secured his second consecutive podium finish on Saturday afternoon in the World Supersport class with Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing. The Turkish rider finished third in the first race at the Balaton Park Circuit after an intense battle in the final lap. Teammate Yuki Okamoto crossed the line in 24^th place.

After a strong start to the weekend on Friday, conditions remained favourable on Saturday at Balaton Park. With plenty of sunshine and an ambient temperature of 23°C, the first race of the weekend got underway over eighteen laps, with Öncü showing he was determined to fight for success. Starting from second place on the grid, he quickly took the lead and remained at the front throughout the race.

Öncü started the final lap in the lead but made a small mistake in the final chicane before the start/finish line. The Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider braked slightly too late, allowing his closest rivals to overtake him with a block pass. As a result, Öncü ultimately crossed the finish line in third place, securing his second consecutive podium finish with the Dutch team.

Okamoto gained several positions immediately after the start, but further progress proved difficult. The Japanese rider eventually finished the race in 24^th place.

Can Öncü (P3 | +0,377):
“It was a much better race compared to what we showed at the start of this season. We have our confidence back and we are finding the correct way to work together. They also understand my riding style a bit better now and I want to thank them, because they gave me a very good bike today. We need to continue in this direction and see where we can improve for tomorrow’s race. Hopefully there won’t be another mistake like today, and then we can win the race.”

Yuki Okamoto (P24 | +47,225):
“I am disappointed with my performance today. We had some issues during the race so we will review everything and improve ourselves for tomorrow. We’ll reset and come back stronger tomorrow.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“We are starting to build more and more momentum this season. Can is improving with every race, but today he just fell short of finishing the job. Of course, that’s disappointing, but that is also part of racing. We will all keep working together to improve the final details, and I am fully confident that we can take another step forward tomorrow. Can gets better every weekend, so it’s only a matter of time before everything falls into place for him. He is incredibly resilient, and we know he will give everything again tomorrow.

For Yuki, it has been a very challenging weekend so far. He is clearly still trying to find his rhythm here at Balaton Park, where he is racing for the first time. The level of competition is extremely high, and when it’s your first time at this circuit, you immediately face a significant disadvantage compared to your rivals. We did not make a clear step forward during the race, so we need to analyse where that comes from, so that we can improve together tomorrow.”

Öncü achieves season best result with second place in Race 2 at Balaton Park

Can Öncü finished second in the second World Supersport race at the Balaton Park Circuit on Sunday afternoon. The Turkish rider once again proved he could compete with the frontrunners in this highly competitive class and ultimately secured his best result of the season with a second-place finish. Teammate Yuki Okamoto finished 26^th.

After an exciting battle that went down to the final lap in the first race, there was once again plenty of drama in the second World Supersport race. Starting from third on the grid, Öncü got away well and immediately took the lead. He came under pressure throughout the race, but each time the Turkish rider managed to fight back and reclaim first position.

In the closing stages of the race, Öncü was unable to immediately respond after being overtaken and dropped back to second place. The Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider gave it everything to launch one final attack on the last lap, but the gap was just slightly too big, meaning he crossed the finish line in second place. It marks his third consecutive podium finish, and with a total of 88 points, Öncü now sits fifth in the championship standings.

For Okamoto, it once again proved to be a difficult race in his first weekend at the Balaton Park Circuit. In Race 2, the Japanese rider was classified in 26^th position.

Can Öncü (P2 | +0,419):
“I’m very happy because the first two rounds were tough but then we found the correct way to work. Big thanks to the team because they have worked so hard to give me a very good bike. I felt very comfortable today and we were close to the win again. Now we can clearly say that we are back with three consecutive podium finishes. We’re on the right way and need to continue working like this, stay positive and them I’m sure there’s more to come. I found this track quite difficult already last year, but even so we still found a way to be competitive. I hope we can continue like this in Most.”

Yuki Okamoto (P26 | +46,013):
“It was a tough race again today. Together with the team we need to discuss and understand clearly what went wrong, and make improvements. I won’t give up and I’ll push again in Most.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“Can rode an incredibly strong race and once again finished on the podium. He rode a smart race, attacked, and led the field. It was a fair fight for the victory which he ended today in second place, but that is also part of racing. After two podium finishes this weekend, we can certainly be satisfied, although there are always areas for improvement that we will continue working on. We can say that Öncü’s momentum keeps growing, so let’s carry that into the upcoming race weekends.

On Yuki’s side, it was a very difficult weekend. We did not make the progress we were aiming for during the races, so we need to analyse where things went wrong this weekend. He will first return to Japan, and fortunately Autodrom Most is a circuit he has raced at before, which should make a big difference.”

The next race weekend will take place from May 15–17 at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic.