Mahias’ efforts pay off in practice at Misano

The fifth round of the Supersport World Championship is underway at the Misano World Circuit. With Can Oncu out of action after sustaining injury during the Assen round, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing is once again fielding Lucas Mahias aboard its ZX-6R at what is the team’s home round.

The Misano event is a home round for Manuel Puccetti’s team, the ideal occasion to meet with sponsors and greet the fans. This weekend, all the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing bikes are out on track with the historic ELF livery that celebrates the partnership between Total Italia and the Italian team.

During this morning’s free practice, the French rider (who took part in the recent tests at this same track with the Ninja SBK) first had to readapt his riding to the Supersport bike. With a time of 1’39”791, he placed seventeenth at the end of FP1. The work of the rider and team paid off during the afternoon’s session, when Mahias stopped the clock on 1’38”803, moving up into thirteenth place overall. A significant improvement that bodes well ahead of tomorrow, when Lucas will be compete in the Superpole followed by the first race of this fifth championship round.

Misano World Circuit – Italy – Supersport World Championship
Combined free practice results: 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Corsi (Yamaha) – 3) Caricasulo (Ducati) – 5) Montella (Ducati) ………. 13) Mahias (Kawasaki)

Lucas Mahias: “It hasn’t been an easy day for me, as it comes on the back of the recent test with the Superbike and now I’m back on the ZX-6R. In the first practice, I tried to readapt my riding style to the Supersport but my lap time was underwhelming. In the afternoon the situation improved significantly, and I was able to lower my lap time to position thirteenth. It’s not a negative result if we consider the difficulties we had, and the gap to the front is not so much. I’d like more time to test my bike but tomorrow we immediately have Superpole and Race 1. I’ll try to do my best as always, also to repay the team for all their hard work.”

An intense but constructive day for Rabat at WorldSBK Misano

The fifth round of the Superbike World Championship got underway today at the Misano World Circuit. Having concluded its collaboration with Tom Sykes, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing is fielding Spaniard Tito Rabat who previously raced with the Italian team in 2021 and 2022.

The Misano event is a home round for Manuel Puccetti’s team, the ideal occasion to meet with sponsors and greet the fans. This weekend, all the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing bikes are out on track with the historic ELF livery that celebrates the partnership between Total Italia and the Italian team.

In hot and sunny conditions, Tito Rabat took part in the first free practice session, working to find feeling with his Ninja. Setting a time of 1’36”485, the Spaniard finished in twenty-first place. In the afternoon session, Rabat tested some new setups but was unable to improve on his earlier reference, placing twenty-first also in the day’s combined standings.

Tomorrow will see Tito taking part in FP3 followed by the Superpole and Race 1.

Misano World Circuit – Italy – Superbike World Championship
Combined free practice results: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 3) Petrucci (Ducati) – 4) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 5) Lowes (Kawasaki) …….. 21) Rabat (Kawasaki)

Tito Rabat: “Today has been challenging as we had a lot of work to get through. This morning the track offered good grip and we immediately lapped in 1’36, while in the afternoon we focused on new setups and some new electronics solutions, trying to find the best possible balance in terms of the Ninja’s performance. Tomorrow we’ll continue on the same path and I’m confident that together with the team we’ll be able to express our potential.”

Mahias top ten in Race 1 for World SSP

The Misano World Circuit today staged day two of the fifth Supersport World Championship round, comprising the Superpole and race 1.

During this Italian round, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing is fielding Frenchman Lucas Mahias, who substitutes for the injured Can Oncu. The experience rider closed yesterday’s free practices in thirteenth place overall, setting a best lap of 1’38”803. This morning Lucas was back out for Superpole, which established the starting grid for the weekend’s two races. Improving by almost a second (1’37”845), Mahias finished in seventh place, which meant he lined up on row three of the grid for the afternoon’s race.

The Frenchman made a very fast start but, as the race went on, he lost several positions, having not yet found the right feeling with his bike. He nevertheless crossed the line tenth, achieving that top ten finish that was one of his goals as he continues to adapt to the Supersport.

Misano World Circuit – Italy – Supersport World Championship

Superpole: 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Caricasulo (Ducati) – 3) Montella (Ducati) – 4) Schroetter (MV Agusta) – 5) Van Straalen (Yamaha) – 6) Sofuoglu (MV Agusta) – 7) Mahias (Kawasaki)

Race 1 – 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Manzi (Yamaha) – 3) Caricasulo (Ducati) – 4) Schroetter (MV Agusta) – 5) Montella (Ducati) ……. 10) Mahias (Kawasaki)

Lucas Mahias: “In Superpole I was able to make some fast laps and qualify a strong seventh, which had me feeling confident for the race. After making a good start, I tried to stick with the riders in my group, but I couldn’t find sufficient pace and in the final stages lost a few positions, crossing the line tenth. I’m not totally happy with the result, but I still need to find the right feeling with the bike in the races, and so I consider it a positive result, although I hope to do better in tomorrow’s race.”

Positive results for Rabat in WorldSBK at Misano

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing and rider Tito Rabat is on track at the Misano World Circuit for this weekend’s fifth Superbike World Championship round.

Yesterday, the Spanish rider finished the practice sessions in twenty-first place while this morning he was back out for the third and final practice, setting a best of 1’36”832. In the late morning, the Superpole established positions on the race 1 starting grid. Rabat, who continues to build confidence aboard the Italian team’s Ninja, improved on his best practice time to close twenty-second with a time of 1’36”025.

This result meant that he lined up on row eight of the grid for the afternoon’s twenty-lap race which ran in hot and sunny conditions. Having got away well, Tito made up several positions. He then attempted to increase the feeling with his bike and avoid mistakes, crossing the line nineteenth.

Tomorrow the Spaniard will compete in the Superpole Race and race 2.

Misano World Circuit – Italy – Superbike World Championship

Combined free practice results: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 3) Rea (Kawasaki) – 4) Gardner (Yamaha) – 5) Oettl (Ducati) – 6) Bassani (Ducati) ……. 23) Rabat (Kawasaki)

Superpole: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 3) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 4) Petrucci (Ducati) – 5) Bassani (Ducati) – 6) Rea (Kawasaki) ………… 22) Rabat (Kawasaki)

Race 1: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 3) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 3) Bassani (Ducati) – 5) Rea (Kawasaki) – 6) Aegerter (Yamaha) …… 19) Rabat (Kawasaki)

Tito Rabat: “A positive race overall. I immediately made up two or three positions and tried to reach the group up ahead, but I don’t yet have complete confidence with the bike and still need to find the kind of pace that will allow me to catch those ahead of me. We’re still losing something in acceleration and need to better manage the electronics, but I’m sure that, by building experience and covering more miles with this bike, we’ll be able to score increasingly strong results.”

Mahias in the top ten again for WorldSSP race two at Misano

The fifth round of the Supersport World Championship has concluded today at the Misano World Circuit. Lucas Mahias, who stands in for injured Can Oncu aboard the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing ZX-6R this weekend, finished seventh and tenth respectively in yesterday’s Superpole and race 1. This afternoon, the Frenchman lined up for the second and final race of his team’s home round, which played out in front of its sponsors and supporters.

Like yesterday, Lucas started from the third row of the grid in a race that ran in hot and sunny conditions. The Frenchman got away well when the lights went out but got caught up in the group through the first turns. With his usual determination and very strong pace, Lucas was able to climb up to ninth place, and the final result would have been even better if a rider hadn’t hit him hard enough to activate his airbag, forcing Mahias to complete the final laps of the race with the bag inflated, which impeded his movements.

The next Supersport World Championship round will take place from 30 June to 2 July at the Donington Park circuit in the UK.

Misano World Circuit – Italy – Supersport World Championship

Race 2 – 1) Manzi (Yamaha) – 2) Bulega (Ducati) – 3) Schroetter (MV Agusta) – 4) Caricasulo (Ducati) – 5) Huertas (Kawasaki) – 6) Corsi (Yamaha) ……….. 9) Mahias (Kawasaki)

Lucas Mahias: “At this round our goal was to continue to adapt to the ZX-6R and to try to consistently reach the top ten. I think the balance is positive because today I finished ninth and I felt more comfortable on the bike. I hope that Öncü will be able to race again at Donington, but if that is not the case, I would be happy to remain a part of this team. I thank them all for the excellent work done here at Misano.”

A trivial technical problem stops Rabat in WorldSBK race 2

The third and final day of the fifth Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit played out under the hot Italian sun. This was a first home round for Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, the ideal opportunity for staff to meet with sponsors and supporters and field a special livery dedicated to historic sponsor ELF.

Tito Rabat was back on the Italian team’s Ninja and worked with his technical staff to regain confidence with the bike. Yesterday, having qualified twenty-second in Superpole, the Spaniard finished race 1 in nineteenth position.

This morning he was back out for the Superpole Race, which runs over a distance of just ten laps. Unfortunately, Tito did not make the best start and found himself at the back of the field through the early stages. The Spaniard then got into a good rhythm and climbed back up to sixteenth place, at which point the race was brought to a premature end with the red flag, following a crash.
Race 2 ran in the afternoon but unfortunately did not last long for the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider, who was forced to retire after his bike chain broke. A rather unusual setback, and one that the Italian team has never experienced with its bikes until now.

The sixth WorldSBK round will take place on 30 June-2 July at Donington Park in the UK.

Misano World Circuit – Italy – Superbike World Championship

Superpole Race: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 3) Rinaldi (Ducati) – 4) Bassani (Ducati) – 5) Rea (Kawasaki) – 6) Lowes (Kawasaki) ……. 16) Rabat (Kawasaki)

Race 2: 1) Bautista (Ducati) – 2) Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) – 3) Bassani (Ducati) – 4) Rea (Kawasaki) – 5) Vierge (Honda) – 6) Locatelli (Yamaha) ………. n.c.) Rabat (Kawasaki)

Tito Rabat: “We were unlucky today because it’s really strange for the chain to break on the first lap. Aside from the negative result in race 2, it was a positive weekend overall because I felt increasingly comfortable on the bike, made three good starts, and am sure that without this problem this afternoon, we could have reached the podium, also because my pace in the sprint race was already stronger than in yesterday’s race. Now we turn the page and focus on the next round at Donington, which will undoubtedly go better.”