Strong second for Manzi in Superpole, Okamoto qualifies 25th
Stefano Manzi qualified second on Friday afternoon for the opening World Supersport race at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Teammate Yuki Okamoto set the 25th fastest time in the qualifying session at the French circuit.
Under sunny and pleasant conditions, the ninth round of the FIM Supersport World Championship got underway on Friday at Magny-Cours. Manzi started the day in dominant form, topping the free practice session in which the Italian completed no fewer than 21 consecutive laps. This left him well-prepared for the Superpole session, where the focus was on delivering a single fast lap.
Manzi led the timesheets for much of the session but ultimately finished second with a best lap of 1’39.663. That result secured him a front row start and provides an excellent starting position for the first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. Teammate Yuki Okamoto qualified 25th, making his return to racing after nearly two months.
Stefano Manzi (P2 – 1’39.663 / +0,221):
“It was a good first day here in Magny-Cours, I enjoyed riding a lot. It is very nice to be back racing again after the summer break. This morning we started well in FP1, we did a long run to see if we were on the right path and it looked like we were. In Superpole I struggled a bit with the softer SCX rear tyre, but we’ll start from the first row so I’m happy with the position. We are ready to race tomorrow.”
Yuki Okamoto (P25 – 1’42.261 / +2,819):
“First of all I am very happy to be back on track. However, today was not a great day for us. I was struggling a bit and didn’t make the step I wanted. I still have some pain in my shoulder, but it is improving and it helps to take painkillers. We have to improve in a lot of areas but we will work hard with the team to make it happen.”
Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“We are ready to race tomorrow. The team mainly focused on race pace today, which is evident from the large number of laps Stefano completed. Especially in free practice, I saw the strongest session in the three years we have been working together. It was very impressive what he showed early in the morning. In the afternoon, it was also a strong Superpole session, although we couldn’t quite extract the ultimate lap. That’s mainly because we have been focusing on race pace since the test, which means we’re just missing that last bit in qualifying. In any case, Stefano is more than ready to race tomorrow.
On the other side of the garage, unfortunately with Yuki we weren’t able to carry over the good feeling from the test. That is disappointing, and the team will do everything possible to help him regain that confidence and fine-tune the details. We hope to make a big step forward in the race tomorrow.
We know Magny-Cours is always unpredictable and anything can happen, but the expectations are positive for both riders. It was a successful day and we are ready to go racing.”
Manzi wins epic battle at Magny-Cours to claim third consecutive World Supersport victory
Stefano Manzi won the opening World Supersport race at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours on Saturday afternoon. The Italian spent the entire race locked in an intense battle with title rival Can Öncü, whom he managed to defeat thanks to a phenomenal final lap. Teammate Yuki Okamoto crossed the finish line in seventeenth position.
Under sunny skies, the first World Supersport race at Magny-Cours was contested over nineteen laps. Starting from second on the grid, Manzi made a strong getaway and took the lead as early as lap two, but he would spend the entire race engaged in a fierce fight. In the early stages there were four riders in the leading group, but in the closing laps only Öncü remained as Manzi’s direct challenger.
It looked as though Manzi would have to settle for second place after a near-crash on the penultimate lap, but the Italian was determined to continue his winning streak. Despite a deficit of more than a second, Manzi produced a sensational comeback, completing a decisive overtake on the final lap to take victory. It was his third win in a row and his eighth of the season, further extending his lead in the World Championship standings.
Okamoto also delivered a solid performance, gradually making progress throughout the race. He ultimately crossed the line in seventeenth position, gaining more valuable race mileage in the highly competitive World Supersport class.
Stefano Manzi – P1:
“From the beginning of this weekend, we were quite fast. My pace during the race was quite strong as well, because every time I was leading I was able to be five or six tenths faster. However, I wasn’t able to drop Can as he stayed in my slipstream and managed to overtake me several times. We were fighting constantly which wasn’t easy, and with two laps to go I had a big moment where I almost crashed.
Therefore I started the last lap with a gap of over a second, but somehow I managed to recover it, overtake him and finish in first place, so I’m quite happy with that. I thought about settling for second but I saw I could win, so I decided to go for it. I still look at things race by race and will not change my approach, so when I can win I will give it a go.”
Yuki Okamoto (P21 / +50,132):
“We finished the race in 17thposition. After a difficult warm up session this morning we managed to have a strong race where we made some steps forward. I want to thank the team and everyone who has supported me. I hope to make another step tomorrow and have a good Race 2.”
Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It’s a fantastic day for Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing and we can say that Stefano once again rode a superb race. We knew his race pace was excellent, so we had prepared a strong strategy. Several times we tried to break away but it wasn’t possible, because here in Magny-Cours you have a long straight where slipstreaming can gain you almost a full second. In the last five laps he tried again but it didn’t work, and then he almost went down, which turned the situation around. Still, Stefano managed to finish it off in brilliant style and that is something we can only admire. He’s having an incredibly strong weekend, which gives us confidence for tomorrow. As always, we keep working on the details so we can take another step forward in Race 2.
Yuki achieved a positive result with seventeenth place. On Friday morning he struggled as the conditions were different compared to the test, but gradually the feeling has improved and we can see the upward trend. We’re looking forward to racing again tomorrow.”
Magnificent Manzi scores second double victory in a row at Magny-Cours after stunning comeback
Stefano Manzi won the second World Supersport race on Sunday afternoon at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. Just like in Race 1, the Italian fought back from a large deficit and struck on the final lap, securing his fourth consecutive victory. Yuki Okamoto crossed the finish line in eighteenth place.
After a sensational win in Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, Stefano Manzi and Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing were determined to showcase their superior race pace again in Race 2. Manzi made a strong start but was delayed in the opening stages after being caught up in another rider’s crash. This left him with a tough challenge, but he refused to settle for second place.
Thanks to a phenomenal final phase, Manzi was able to close down the gap and wasted no time in seizing the lead at the first opportunity. He gave his rival no chance to respond and once again took the checkered flag as the winner. It marked his fourth win in a row, his ninth of the season, and the nineteenth of his World Supersport career. Manzi now sits on 344 points with a 69-point lead in the standings.
Yuki Okamoto got off the line well from twenty-fifth on the grid and quickly made his way towards the top twenty. Despite struggling with a shoulder injury, the Japanese rider finished in eighteenth position.
With Manzi’s victory, Yamaha has also secured the manufacturers’ title in the World Supersport class. The Italian and Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing have played a key role in the development of the Yamaha YZF-R9, which proved successful right from the opening round of the season in Phillip Island.
Stefano Manzi – P1:
“I am feeling fantastic because this was one of my best races in World Supersport. I started well and I was already at the front but Surra crashed and his bike was in the middle of the track, so I had to brake to avoid it. Therefore I lost some time to Can and the others were able to overtake me on the straight. At some point during the race I was thinking that second place would be the maximum for me today, but as always I never give up. In the final part of the race I was able to decrease the gap quite quickly, and managed to overtake him in the last sector. I am very happy about this race and this weekend’s performance. I wanted to win but I also didn’t want to throw away a lot of points, so I had to be very precise.
The team and I can be very satisfied with what we showed this weekend. We need to remain focused on doing our job race by race, and nothing else. I am proud of the manufacturer’s title of Yamaha in World Supersport, because already last year I was involved in the project of developing this bike. I think we have done a good job, because usually it is quite difficult to win with a new bike in the first year. We have done it and I am happy for Yamaha.”
Yuki Okamoto (P18 / +39,409):
“Today was even tougher than yesterday. I wasn’t able to ride as I wanted because of my shoulder, and it affected the strength in my right arm. I learned a lot from this race and this weekend, as it was one of the most difficult ones of my career. It was important for us to be here and I will continue training to be stronger for the race weekend in Aragón.”
Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a fantastic weekend for us here in Magny-Cours with another double victory for Stefano. Race 2 was crazy, but we already knew Stefano had the superior race pace. Yesterday he couldn’t fully show it, but today he did — although in an unexpected way. Surra crashed right in front of him costing him four seconds, but he managed to close the gap and then pass Öncü in brilliant fashion. I think today we witnessed something very special — it was incredibly tense, but Stefano rode with great composure and strategy. He finished the job perfectly, and this was without doubt his best weekend of the past three seasons.
Yuki has improved again, and we hope we can keep building on this so that he can score points towards the end of the year.”
The next round of the World Superbike Championship takes place on the weekend of September 26–28 at Motorland Aragón in Spain.