Stefano Manzi qualified fourth on Friday afternoon for the first World Supersport race at the Autodrom Most. The opening day at the Czech circuit was largely defined by unpredictable conditions, which the Italian capitalised on with a bold strategy during the Superpole session. Teammate Yuki Okamoto had a clearly more difficult day and ended up 28th.
The first day of the Czech World Superbike round at the Autodrom Most began Friday morning with a wet track and fairly low temperatures. These created treacherous conditions where mistakes were easily made. In the afternoon the Superpole session was held, and track conditions were not much different.
Championship leader Stefano Manzi struck early, setting a 1’38.983 on slicks, which ultimately placed him fourth. The Italian made no mistakes, securing a strong starting position for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon.
Yuki Okamoto faced a tough day, as he not only had to deal with the tricky track conditions but also had to learn the complex layout of the Autodrom Most. A crash and the changing weather conditions meant he finished 28th on the timesheets.
Stefano Manzi (P4 – 1’38.983 / +0,840):
“We had a pretty good day. We had some trouble with the weather as it started raining just minutes before both sessions. In the morning we didn’t use slicks and in the rain we were quite fast. In the afternoon I made the call to use slicks early on, which was quite tricky in the beginning with still some wet patches. It ended up being the right strategy and it resulted in a 4th place. Maybe we could have fought for pole position but the second row is okay. For sure I want to do better, but it’s definitely not bad to end the day like this.”Yuki Okamoto (P28 – 1’45.422 / +7,279):
“I am disappointed after today’s sessions. I want to say sorry to the team for my early crash in Free Practice. I wasn’t able to have a good performance in Superpole, because the track conditions were very difficult for me. I hope that tomorrow will be a better day for us.”Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“Mixed feelings for us after this first day in Most. Stefano performed very well in the Superpole session under conditions that were extremely difficult to assess. He kept a cool head, which shows that he is currently in very good form. He switched to slicks at the right moment and built up his qualifying session excellently. In the final lap he was on his way to pole position, but unfortunately, he couldn’t complete that lap due to traffic. To secure a second-row starting position in such conditions is just very good. He stayed out of trouble and he is ready to race. He has the speed in all conditions, so I’m confident he can be competitive tomorrow.
For Yuki, it was a very tough day. It’s his first time riding here in Most, and he had an unfortunate crash during free practice, which cost him twenty minutes of the session. That means you’re constantly playing catch-up. Due to the changing conditions, he hasn’t qualified yet, so the challenge for tomorrow’s warm-up session is to ensure he gets on the grid. That’s the first step, and from there we need to keep building throughout the rest of the weekend.”
Okamoto climbs to 17th in Race 1, Manzi crashes from the lead in Most
Yuki Okamoto finished seventeenth in the first World Supersport race at the Autodrm Most on Saturday afternoon. The Japanese rider managed to qualify in the morning and impressively worked his way up from 26th on the grid. Stefano Manzi had a very strong start to the first race at the Czech circuit but crashed out in the seventh lap while leading.
After a difficult qualifying day on Friday, the first World Supersport race of the weekend took place on Saturday at the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic. Starting from fourth on the grid, Stefano Manzi had a great launch and quickly took the lead. The Italian came under heavy pressure from his rivals but defended well and managed to maintain his position at the front in the early stages.
Unfortunately, things went wrong in the seventh lap when Manzi lost the front of his Yamaha YZF-R9 in turn 16. He was able to pick the bike back up and rejoin the race, but it meant he could no longer score points. Nevertheless, Manzi remains the leader in the World Championship with a 36-point advantage, as his competitors were unable to fully capitalise on his misfortune. Manzi set the fourth-fastest lap time of the race, which means he will start Race 2 from fourth position again on Sunday afternoon.
Due to the changing weather conditions, Okamoto was unable to qualify for Saturday’s race on Friday. However, the Japanese rider managed to secure a spot on the grid during the warm-up session and started Race 1 from 26th. From there, the 25-year-old rider worked his way forward and eventually crossed the finish line in seventeenth place. Okamoto will start from the 26th place on the grid in Race 2 once again.
Yuki Okamoto (P17 / +35,232):
“Today I did my first laps in dry conditions on the Autodrom Most. We only had ten minutes in the morning warm up to qualify for Race 1, and fortunately I made it. However, it meant that I had to start from P26 on the grid and that made it very difficult, although I still managed to finish in 17thplace. We need to make a plan for tomorrow and then hopefully we can perform better. I’m grateful to the team for their support.”Stefano Manzi (P26 / +4 laps):
“It’s a bad day for us because I crashed in today’s race. I made a small mistake with less pressure on the front brakes whilst hitting a bump, and therefore there was less load on the front tyre which I then lost. It’s a big shame because I was leading the race and felt very good. However, we need to keep our heads up high and come back stronger tomorrow. For now we will analyse everything and then tomorrow there’s another warm up and another race, in which we need to go forward.”Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“Unfortunately, today was the day Stefano had his first zero of the season. We were leading the race and had prepared a solid race strategy. However, because he lost front of the bike, he was immediately out of contention for points. These things can happen, and we’ve managed to retain the lead in the championship. Stefano is still in top form, and everyone could see how fast he was. We’ll regroup and, as always, we’ll be back tomorrow.Yuki had a good race today. He had to come from far back, but in the end he was able to climb up to seventeenth place. Hopefully he can make the step into the points tomorrow. We want to continue the upward trend we’ve shown in the past few races, and hopefully that will result in some points tomorrow.”
Manzi maintains solid margin in World Supersport championship after challenging weekend in Most
Stefano Manzi finished sixth on Sunday afternoon in the second World Supersport race at the Autodrom Most. The Italian briefly led the race but had to give up ground in the second half, ultimately crossing the finish line in sixth place. His teammate Yuki Okamoto was once again making good progress, but in the thirteenth lap he crashed after contact with another rider, eventually finishing 31st.
After the disappointment of Race 1, where Manzi crashed out, the Italian and the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team were determined to bounce back in Race 2. Manzi got off to a strong start and was leading after three laps, holding his own well within the lead group. However, the 26-year-old rider dropped back in the second half of the race and eventually finished sixth. With a total of 185 points, Manzi still holds a solid lead in the World Supersport championship, with a forty-point advantage over second place.
Yuki Okamoto finished seventeenth in Race 1 and was aiming for points in Race 2. The Japanese rider again gained multiple positions early on and made his way into the top twenty. However, in lap thirteen things went wrong as he crashed in Turn 20 following contact with another rider. Okamoto picked up his Yamaha YZF-R9 and finished the race, but was unable to score points.
Stefano Manzi (P6 / +6,494):
“For sure this was not the weekend we hoped for. Before we arrived here we were optimistic, and even in the changeable conditions on Friday and Saturday morning we were quick. Yesterday it was a big shame to crash in the first race, and today I struggled a lot with the rear tyre. I wasn’t able to fight and I didn’t end up on the podium. I tried to keep the rear tyre in the best possible conditions but it didn’t help me to ride like I wanted. I am looking forward to the next race, which is my home round in Misano. We go back to work and try to be in the best shape for Misano.”Yuki Okamoto (P31 / +1 Lap):
“Today was better than yesterday but unfortunately I was hit by another rider, and therefore I crashed. We had two tough races this weekend but we will keep working, and hopefully I can make a big step for the next round in Misano. I want to thank everyone for their support.”Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a tough day for us today. Somewhat unexpectedly, we weren’t able to do what we thought we could with Stefano during the race. There’s clearly some homework to be done on our side. Yuki had a good start but unfortunately crashed. He was able to finish the race, but it didn’t result in any points. In the end, it’s been a disappointing weekend here in Most, even though we started off very well on Friday. Throughout a season, some weekends will be more difficult — that’s just part of racing. Fortunately, we didn’t lose anything in the championship regarding Stefano’s lead, and Yuki gained more experience on a new circuit this weekend. There are plenty of things for us to work on ahead of the Misano weekend, and we’ll put a plan in place to come back fighting as we’re used to.”
The next round of the FIM Supersport World Championship will take place on the weekend of 13–15 June at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy.