Manzi finishes on the podium in front of home crowd in hard-fought first World Supersport race, Navarro claims eighth place

Stefano Manzi finished second in the first World Supersport race of the weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Saturday afternoon. The Italian managed to defend his second position on the last lap after having to start from tenth place due to a difficult qualifying session. Jorge Navarro made great strides on Saturday, crossing the finish line in eighth place in the first race.

The race weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli had a difficult start for Ten Kate Racing. Stefano Manzi was only able to complete five laps on Friday due to a crash caused by contact with another rider in FP1. The damage sustained in that accident meant he had to abandon FP2 in the afternoon right away. Therefore the Italian started qualifying on Saturday morning with very little preparation.

Manzi qualified 11th but was allowed to start 10th due to a penalty from another rider. The Italian started well and had already moved up to fifth at the end of the opening lap. After eight laps Manzi had already moved up to second place, which he did not relinquish until the finish, even when compatriot Federico Caricasulo attacked him twice on the last lap. It is already the fourth time this year that Manzi has finished second and, as a result, he is now also second in the championship with a total of 136 points.

After qualifying eighth on Saturday morning, Jorge Navarro took advantage of the first race to try some adjustments. After a difficult opening phase, the Spaniard came back strongly in the second half and he eventually crossed the finish line in eighth place.

Stefano Manzi – P2:“I pushed to my maximum in today’s race. At the end I saw the gap between me and Caricasulo getting smaller so I didn’t know if I could maintain the second place. We had a nice battle in the last lap but fortunately I was able to hold onto my position. Again we finished in second place, I hope we can get that first win at some point. I want to win with Yamaha so we need to keep working. After not being on the bike after Barcelona and only doing five laps on Friday it was quite difficult in qualifying this morning, tomorrow I need to start quite far down as well. Today we were able to recover so hopefully we can repeat that tomorrow.”

Jorge Navarro – P8:“Overall it has been a positive day. In qualifying we made a step forward and ahead of the race we made some changes which helped us to get some more information to understand what I need from the bike. We found some interesting things and we will work hard for tomorrow’s race to make another step in the right direction.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing team manager:“After a difficult day yesterday we recovered well today. Stefano was once again on the podium after a race in which he had to fight hard. He was able to show his true potential and it’s nice to see him enjoying everything that comes with his home race.

Jorge made a huge step today that I am actually just as proud of as Stefano’s podium. He is on an upward trend and it seems he doesn’t need much more to make the step to the top in this class. It was also a good day for him and as a result the whole team is looking forward to racing again tomorrow. The weather conditions do seem to be changeable so surprising things can still happen.”

Manzi takes sensational first win with Ten Kate Racing and gives the team its 100^th World Supersport victory

Stefano Manzi has won the second World Supersport race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on Sunday afternoon. The Italian managed to take over the lead with a great overtaking move on the last lap which he then defended skilfully, giving Manzi his first win for Ten Kate Racing and Yamaha. Jorge Navarro was fighting in the leading group but crashed, he still was able to finish the race and eventually finished eighteenth.

After Manzi already managed to turn a difficult qualifying session on Saturday into a second place, the Italian and Ten Kate Racing team knew more was possible in Race 2 on Sunday. Starting from 11th on the grid, the home rider rode an impressive opening phase and reached the podium positions after just four laps. After briefly taking over the lead on lap 10, Manzi then rode away with compatriot Nicolò Bulega to decide the battle for victory on the final lap.

With a very clever and surprising overtaking manoeuvre the Ten Kate Racing rider took over the lead on the last lap, which he then managed to hold on to thanks to good defensive work. As a result, Manzi crossed the finish line first, taking his first World Supersport victory with Ten Kate Racing and Yamaha. He also gave the team from Nieuwleusen their 100th victory in the World Supersport class.

Jorge Navarro also rode a good opening phase and was in fourth position by the fourth lap, however a lap later he made a mistake which caused him to go down. The Spaniard and the YZF-R6 were undamaged, allowing him to continue his way and eventually finish 18th. Despite the crash, it was a positive weekend for Navarro who has made great strides this weekend after major modifications.

Stefano Manzi – P1: “It was an amazing day for us. In warm-up I already had a strong pace and in the race I started well. I gained a lot of positions until I arrived behind Nicolò. We had a little bit of a fight but we also played it smart because our pace was good, therefore I decide to not disturb him too much. In the end I was able to get in front of him in the last lap and defend my position until the finish line. It was a fantastic race, finally I have achieved my first victory with Ten Kate Racing and Yamaha. I am so happy about this achievement and it’s even better to do it at home!”

Jorge Navarro – P18: “It was a big shame what happened today because I was fighting with the front group. I felt very good on the bike, unfortunately I had a small crash In Turn 14 which cost us a great result. I was able to pick up the bike and finish the race and therefore we gathered some more information. We made some big changes on the bike today and I felt much more comfortable riding like this. Now we need to keep working in this way and then I am sure that good results will come soon.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing team manager: “Stefano was once again the weekend’s star rider, as he was in Barcelona. This time he did manage to finish it off in a perfectly executed race. He built it up great and struck on the last lap. It is his first win with Ten Kate Racing and I hope we have now broken a barrier so we can start attacking for the championship.

Jorge made a huge step this weekend and he showed this weekend that he still has the speed in him. It is understandable that he then makes a mistake because after such steps everything is suddenly different. I am happy that he has shown this growth and if we can continue this then he will also become a regular at the front of the field.”

The next race weekend for Ten Kate Racing is scheduled for the weekend of 30 June to 2 July, when the sixth round of the championship will be held at Donington Park in the UK.