Aegerter fifth in Race 1 in Argentina, Taccini seventeenth

Dominique Aegerter finished fifth in the first World Supersport race in Argentina. With his result the Swiss rider has a 52-point lead in the championship with three races to go. Leonardo Taccini, the replacement rider of Galang Hendra Pratama, ended seventeenth in the opening race of the weekend.

The penultimate round of the 2021 World Supersport season is held at the Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina. After a long journey Ten Kate Racing Yamaha started on Friday with two free practice sessions. Dominique Aegerter was fast immediately on the circuit that is unknown for him. In FP1 the rider from Switzerland was fastest and in the second session he ended in third place. In qualifying, Aegerter was fifth, ensuring the first place in the 2021 Tissot Superpole standings. Leonardo Taccini, who replaces Galang Hendra Pratama this weekend, made good progress during the sessions and finished Superpole with the eighteenth time.

Aegerter maintained his fifth position at the start of the first race. In the fourth lap, the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider managed to gain a place at the expense of his title rival Steven Odendaal. In the closing stages Odendaal came back and Aegerter ended up finishing fifth, scoring valuable points for the championship. Taccini had a good start and was in fifteenth position during the first lap. In the second lap, the 19-year-old Italian ran wide in the first corner, which cost him some time. Taccini finished seventeenth in his first race for Ten Kate Racing Yamaha.

Aegerter has the chance to secure his first world title on Sunday, which would be the tenth World Supersport title for Ten Kate Racing. Aegerter will start with a 52-point lead and if he has 50 points or more than Odendaal at the end of the race, he will be the new world champion. The race starts at 13:30 local time, 18:30 CEST / Dutch time.

Dominique Aegerter: “My start was good and we were battling for the podium. It was not easy to overtake Steven (Odendaal). When I passed him, I tried to close the gap to González. Halfway during the race my front tyre started to slide a bit. I had to change my riding style and that cost me some time. I had a great battle with Steven. I tried to pass him on the last lap, but it was a bit over the limit. I finished fifth. I’m a bit disappointed because we couldn’t fight for the podium. We will definitely try something in the warm up tomorrow. Tomorrow we have another chance and I will do everything I can to finish on the podium.”

Leonardo Taccini: “It was not quite our day. We made a good step in Superpole. In the race we were fast as well. I had a good start and gained several places. Unfortunately, I went wide on the second lap after colliding with another rider. Later on I made another mistake, so it was no longer possible to fight for the points. That was a pity, but it’s good we have a second race tomorrow!”

Team manager Kervin Bos: “We went for a bit more than P5 for Dominique and P17 for Leonardo, especially because this weekend we can decided the championship. With Dominique we struggled a bit with the setup. We tried something before the race to give him something extra, but it is not yet where we want to be. Leonardo had a good start but unfortunately ran wide on the second lap. His pace was good and I think we can go for a point with him tomorrow. I also expect that we can make a step with Dominique and fight for the podium, because the speed is definitely there.”

WORLD CHAMPION! Aegerter claims tenth WorldSSP title for Ten Kate Racing in Argentina

Dominique Aegerter is the 2021 World Supersport champion! A third place during the second race in Argentina was more than enough to secure the title. It is the tenth World Supersport title for Ten Kate Racing and the eleventh in total. It is the first world title for the Dutch team as Ten Kate Racing Yamaha.

Sunday afternoon the second World Supersport race was held at the Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina. Dominique Aegerter started the race with a lead of 52 points in the championship. If the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha rider managed to lead by 50 points or more at the end of the race, the world title would be secured. Aegerter had to start from the second row of the grid. Leonardo Taccini, the replacement rider for Galang Hendra Pratama, started from eighteenth position.

Aegerter had a good start, but had to brake hard in the first corner to avoid a crash in front of him, in which title rival Steven Odendaal was also involved. Aegerter moved up quickly from ninth place with a strong pace. On the seventh lap, the Swiss rider arrived in third place and managed to hold on to this position until the finish. This fourteenth podium finish of the season was more than enough to secure the world title. Taccini had a good start and was inside the top-ten after the first lap. After nineteen laps the young Italian finished in a great eleventh place, scoring five world championship points in his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha appearance.

We, as Ten Kate Racing Yamaha, are incredibly proud of our success with Dominique Aegerter! This world title means for us:

✅The 1^st world title for Dominique Aegerter ??
✅The 10^th World Supersport title for Ten Kate Racing ??
✅The 11^th world title for Ten Kate Racing ??
✅The 1^st world title for Ten Kate Racing Yamaha

Dominique Aegerter: “I am a little bit lost for words. We had a fantastic season with more than ten wins and fourteen podiums. It’s great to become world champion as a rookie in this class. I want to thank the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team because they have done a fantastic job this season. Today the bike was better than yesterday. I had a bit of luck in the first corner, but I am happy to finish on the podium. I also want to thank all my sponsors, because without them I wouldn’t be here. Tonight it’s time to celebrate!”

Leonardo Taccini: “It was a good weekend overall. We improved constantly. Today in the warm up we made a good step. I had a good start and a strong pace. In the end I finished in P11, which is my best result of the season. The weekend went really quickly so I couldn’t quite adjust the setup to my riding style yet. I want to thank the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team for this great opportunity to ride outside of Europe. And I want to congratulate Dominique Aegerter for his world title: well done!”

Team manager Kervin Bos: “What an incredible feeling! The tenth World Supersport title for Ten Kate Racing and the eleventh in total. It has been an emotional period, but we made a fantastic comeback with Yamaha. In our comeback season in World Supersport we immediately became world champion. That deserves a very big compliment to the whole team, all our partners and of course Dominique! From the beginning of our adventure we had an excellent feeling with him. His mentality fits Ten Kate Racing perfectly and we have shown that this season together!”