Friday

Stefano Manzi qualified third for the first World Supersport race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on Friday afternoon. The Italian managed to secure a place on the front row of the grid for the sixth time this season, teammate Glenn van Straalen finished qualifying with the 11^th fastest lap time.

This weekend, the seventh round of the FIM Supersport World Championship is being held at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. Due to a different time schedule, Friday’s free practice session didn’t get underway until after midday in which Stefano Manzi and Glenn van Straalen managed to post the third and thirteenth time respectively.

At the end of the afternoon, under sunny and warm conditions with an ambient temperature of 34°C, it was time for the Superpole session. Both Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing riders had a difficult start, but in the end Manzi managed to squeeze out a lap time of 1’44.091 which put him third on the grid. This secured him a place on the front row of the grid for the sixth time this season. Van Straalen rode the eleventh fastest lap time which puts him on the fourth row of the grid.

Stefano Manzi – P3:“To be on the first row is always good. It was a tricky qualifying session for us because in the morning I was quite strong but in the afternoon I struggled a bit more. There was a rider who kept trying to follow me so I wasn’t able to ride alone. However, I did manage to do a good lap time but unfortunately the first two riders made quite a big improvement. In general I feel good but I am a bit worried about the gap to the leader. Anyway, I will do my best and we will try something in tomorrow’s warm up session. It will be a tough race but let’s see where we can end up.”

Glenn van Straalen – P11:“In the Superpole session I did not manage to ride the ultimate lap. The wind had turned compared to the free practice in the morning. We did make a step in the right direction but I would have liked it to be a bit bigger. Tomorrow we already have the first race and I am going into that with confidence.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:“We had a strong first day in Portimão, I am happy that we got off to a good start with both riders. Stefano showed good race pace but unfortunately he didn’t manage to squeeze out the perfect lap. Anyway, with a place on the first row of the grid we achieved the goal and I expect an intense race tomorrow. I am confident he can show something nice tomorrow so we will go full attack.

Glenn had the speed for a place on the first three rows but unfortunately he just couldn’t finish it off. Either way he shows progression and we continue the upward trend from Most. He will now have to start from midfield again so it is imperative to get away well and set a fast lap time so he can be further forward on the grid on Sunday.

I’m happy with how the first day went despite some small hiccups, I think both riders can score tomorrow.”

Saturday

Stefano Manzi finished third in the first World Supersport race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on Saturday afternoon. The Italian managed to fight for second place in the early stages but after having to give it up he rode a solitary race. However, in the closing stages he had to battle once again after which he managed to secure the podium. Glenn van Straalen climbed to ninth position in the race, finishing in the top ten for the fourth race in a row.

Under very sunny and hot conditions, the first World Supersport race of the weekend over seventeen laps at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve was held on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to a good start Stefano Manzi immediately moved up to second place, which he managed to hold until the fourth lap. Once the two Next Generation bikes in front of him had checked out, it was a lonely race for the Italian until he had to deal with a third Next Generation bike in the closing stages. Manzi managed to hold on to third place in a great battle to secure his ninth podium finish of the season. In Race 2, Manzi will start from P5.

Glenn van Straalen had a less good start and had to work hard to hold his own in a group. In the second half of the race, he managed to move further forward and eventually crossed the finish line in ninth place. It is his fourth top-ten finish in a row and his eighth of the season. Because the Dutchman rode the eighth fastest lap in the race he is starting from the third row in Race 2.

Stefano Manzi – P3:“Like I said yesterday, the gap to the front two guys was too big. This meant I was racing alone for almost the entire race. In the final part of the race Jorge was faster and he closed the gap towards me. We had a strong fight and fortunately I managed to win it. I gave my all today and I am quite satisfied about my race, but there is still some room for improvement and we’ll try to find it in tomorrow’s warm up.”

Glenn van Straalen – P9:“It was a decent race. Thanks to a good lap time in the race, we improved our starting position for tomorrow’s race to eighth. During the race I had some nice battles and finished ninth. With a good start, I think we can be in a good position tomorrow.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:“It was another good day for us today, Stefano and Glenn rode excellently. With third place, Stefano again got the most out of the Yamaha YZF-R6 and we are very proud that he managed to keep his cool among the other bigger capacity machines. There are four Next Generation bikes in the top five so I’m curious to see if anything will change in terms of those regulations.

Glenn was able to show his speed in the race today and will therefore start from eighth tomorrow. That was on the cards yesterday but finally came out today. Starting from the third row is going to make a big difference to him tomorrow. He has finished in the top ten again and it is quite clear that we are definitely following the upward trend with Glenn in the last three rounds. Slowly but surely his true potential is emerging so I expect another step up tomorrow with a better starting position.

I am happy with the results and proud of what both riders have shown today. It will be tough again tomorrow but I am looking forward to race again. We will not sit still and see if any improvements can be found for tomorrow.”

Sunday

Stefano Manzi finished second in the second World Supersport race at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on Sunday afternoon. The Italian thus finished on the podium for the tenth time in 14 races and also managed to narrow his gap to the championship leader. Glenn van Straalen also rode a strong race and crossed the finish line in sixth place.

After a third place for Manzi and a ninth place for Van Straalen in Race 1, there was a bit more to be desired for both Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing riders on Sunday afternoon in Portimão. From fifth place on the grid, that was not going to be easy for the Italian but from eighth place on the grid it was a realistic expectation for the Dutchman.

On a difficult opening lap Manzi dropped back to fifth position but soon managed to come back to fourth behind three Next Generation bikes. However, halfway through the race two riders ahead of him crashed which meant the Italian suddenly moved up to second position. Despite being put under a lot of pressure, Manzi kept his cool and eventually crossed the line in second place. This gave him his tenth podium finish of the season and, with a total of 219 points, he reduced his deficit on the championship leader to 41 points.

Van Straalen could not take full advantage of his starting position and fell back to tenth position in the opening phase of the race. He then was able to join a small group in which he steadily fought his way to the front. In the end, the Dutchman crossed the finish line in sixth position, giving him his best result of the season on a dry track since Race 1 in Assen. With a total of 100 points, Van Straalen is currently eighth in the championship, just twenty points away from sixth place.

Stefano Manzi – P2: “This was a very good and solid weekend. I had a good warm up this morning so I felt confident, but in the race the feeling wasn’t so good because the wind changed a lot compared to this morning. The first three riders had quite a big gap early in the race and I was overtaken by Debise so it took some time to get into a rhythm. When I found my pace I saw two riders crash in front of me so this time we were a bit lucky. However, you have to be there to take profit of it and not make the mistake yourself so that means we could take some points. We are still in the battle for the championship but we will take each round as it comes, just trying to win races and then we’ll see where we end up.”

Glenn van Straalen – P6: “It was a good race and also a fun race because I was in a group where we were fighting for fifth place. Unfortunately, on the penultimate lap I just had a gap that I couldn’t close so I finished sixth. Anyway, this gives me confidence and I can definitely be happy with this sixth position. I want to thank the team for this weekend, we are going in the right direction and I am looking forward to the next round at Magny-Cours.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager: “Both riders performed incredibly well this weekend. Stefano again performed to his maximum, second place was more than what looked possible here. Never before has an R6 gone around this place so fast so we can be very happy with that. Of course we are not happy about the gap to the winner but I do have some doubts about the balancing rule of the Next Generation bikes. Hopefully something can be done about it soon.

Glenn has shown from Donington Park onwards that he is making strides every weekend and finished in the top ten again today. The true potential is coming out now and we have seen that over the past three weekends. He has been able to convert the team’s feedback into speed and that is very nice to see, everyone is very happy with that. Now the next step is to become a regular in the top five.

In the end, it was a very good weekend for us as a team and we continue to do everything we can to make the Yamaha YZF-R6 better. We made up points in the championship this weekend and everything is still possible. There will be no lack of commitment on our part to make the most of it in all areas.”

The next round of the FIM Supersport World Championship will be held on the weekend of 6-8 September at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France.