Manzi continues podium streak with second place at the TT Circuit Assen, Okamoto 17th in Race 1

Stefano Manzi finished second on Saturday afternoon in the first World Supersport race at the TT Circuit Assen. The Italian had to fight hard for second place right up until the final lap, but managed to hold on and continue his streak of second-place finishes. Yuki Okamoto crossed the line in seventeenth in his first race at the Dutch circuit.

The race was interrupted early on due to a red flag situation, which shortened the race distance to twelve laps. Starting from the second row, Manzi got off to a good start and immediately moved up to third place, which he held until halfway through the race. The Italian then engaged in a fierce battle with fellow Yamaha rider Can Öncü that lasted until the final meters.

Manzi successfully defended against an attack from the Turkish rider, crossing the line in second place behind race winner Bo Bendsneyder. With this result, the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider maintains a 100% podium record in 2025 and currently leads the championship with 105 points, holding a 10-point advantage over Bendsneyder.

Starting from 23rd on the grid, Yuki Okamoto also made up several positions right away, climbing to P17. After a mistake in the second lap, the Japanese rider dropped back, but thanks to a strong pace, he worked his way back up to 17th by the halfway mark. That’s also where Okamoto finished his first race at the TT Circuit Assen.

Stefano Manzi (P2 / +3,228):
“I’m happy with another podium but I’m not too happy with finishing second again, I would like to win a race as well. Our project is still quite new so we need to continue working and make sure we’re stronger and able to fight for the victory. It was quite stressful to have Can behind me until the final corner but fortunately I was able to come out on top. Let’s see what the weather conditions will be like tomorrow because it looks like we might get some rain. I hope for another dry race and maybe we can make a step forward.”

Yuki Okamoto (P17 / +25,388):
“It was a challenging race today with the shortened distance. I managed to finish it and I started to understand the circuit a bit better. I’ve been able to make a step together with the team, but I’m not satisfied yet. We’re not sure what the weather conditions will be like tomorrow, but I will definitely do my best.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a fantastic first race day here at the sun-drenched TT Circuit Assen. Stefano was sharp right from the start and rode a very smart race. Unfortunately, he just didn’t have quite enough left in the final phase to really challenge Bo, but he did a great job keeping Can behind him. Congratulations to Bo on this beautiful victory in front of his home crowd — we’ll do our best to be up there with Stefano tomorrow.

Yuki continues to learn, and he did so again today during his second day here in Assen. It’s impressive to see how his lap times keep improving and how he manages to hold his own in this competitive field, despite never having been here before. We’ll keep working on that and hopefully we can score those first World Championship points tomorrow.

It’s great to see how many partners and sponsors we’ve already been able to welcome over the past two days. That will be the case again tomorrow, so let’s hope we can reward them all with a strong result on track.”

Manzi and Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing take another podium in Assen and extend their lead in the championship

Stefano Manzi finished second once again on Sunday afternoon in the second World Supersport race at the TT Circuit Assen. The Italian fought for the victory all the way to the finish line, further extending his lead in the championship. Manzi has now stood on the podium in all six WorldSSP races this season.

After a very sunny and warm Saturday at the TT Circuit Assen, Sunday began with rain and cooler temperatures. However, the sun came out during the day, and conditions were good for the second World Supersport race of the weekend. Starting from pole position, Manzi got off to a strong start and immediately took the lead.

What followed was a thrilling race in which Manzi led for almost the entire time. The Italian had a large group of riders chasing him but managed to defend his position well. Right up to the final corner, Manzi was battling for the win with Öncü before ultimately finishing second. This means the Italian has been on the podium in all six races of the 2025 season so far, with a total of 125 points to his name.

Yuki Okamoto had a difficult opening lap but managed to find a good pace afterward. The Japanese rider steadily made his way forward during the race and eventually crossed the finish line in sixteenth place – his best result in the World Supersport class so far.

Stefano Manzi (P2 / +0,012):
“It was a solid race and I was leading for a long time, but unfortunately not at the moment when it counted. I had to put the bike straight to avoid hitting Can. It was a good race until the final corner. Of course I’m not fully satisfied with the race but it is a good result for the championship. Now we go to Cremona, where I have good memories because I managed to win there last year. It’s a good track for me and I like it, but it will be very challenging because a lot of riders are competitive.”

Yuki Okamoto (P16 / +29,160):
“I had a difficult race today. I need to improve, especially in the beginning of the race. However, I think I am able to do this so together with the team we need to keep working. Our next race is in Cremona and I have already had some time on the bike there, so I think we can show some progress there.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was another strong day for the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team, with Stefano maintaining his 100% podium record. Another second place while we were in the fight for the win throughout the race. Of course, that’s a bit disappointing because the potential was definitely there. To lose a race in the Geert Timmer chicane is always a shame. We’ll take a look at what we need to work on with Stefano in the coming period — after all, the project with the R9 is still quite new.

For Yuki, it’s now clear that we mainly need to focus on qualifying in the upcoming weekends. We are confident that he can make a step forward and score his first points in Cremona.

Looking back on the whole weekend, it’s obviously fantastic to finish on the podium twice during our home race, with lots of activities for our sponsors and partners off-track. It was a great weekend that we can all look back on with a lot of satisfaction.”

The next WorldSBK race weekend will take place from May 2 to 4 at the Cremona Circuit in Italy.