Ten Kate Racing are determined after a challenging Superpole in Jerez

Stefano Manzi qualified eleventh on Friday afternoon in the World Supersport class at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. However, due to penalties for other riders, the newly crowned 2025 world champion will start Saturday’s first race of the weekend from ninth on the grid. His teammate Yuki Okamoto qualified 29^th.

Under very sunny and pleasantly warm conditions, the final race weekend of 2025 began on Friday at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. With the World Supersport title already secured, Stefano Manzi immediately found his rhythm during free practice, while teammate Yuki Okamoto made his first laps around the famous southern Spanish circuit.

However, the Superpole session did not go entirely according to plan, and Manzi could do no better than the eleventh-fastest time. In Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, the Italian will move up two positions on the grid due to his rivals’ penalties. Since he started even further back on the grid just a week ago in Estoril — and quickly worked his way forward then — Manzi and the team still have full confidence in achieving a strong result.

For Yuki Okamoto, it was once again a matter of learning the circuit within the limited track time available in the World Supersport class. The Japanese rider ended the day with the 29^th fastest time in the Superpole session.

Stefano Manzi (P11 – 1’42.811 / +0,852):
“It wasn’t such a great day for us because our performance wasn’t great, both in Free Practice and Superpole. Unfortunately this means my starting position for tomorrow is quite far back, which will be a tough challenge. For sure, the team will work hard tonight to find the best possible setting, and let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Yuki Okamoto (P29 – 1’44.448 / +2,489):
“This is quite a good circuit for me, with a lot of high-speed corners and some fast changes of direction. However, I have been struggling quite a lot and we have to improve in many areas. I will keep trying tomorrow and hopefully things will be better than today.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It was a challenging first day for us in Jerez. For Stefano, the Superpole result was disappointing — something we hadn’t expected. We’re clearly still searching to give him the right feeling here, but I’m confident the team will find it by tomorrow, as it’s only a matter of small details. The perfect lap didn’t come together, and when the field is so close, that immediately drops you back several positions. His race pace is excellent, so I still believe he can achieve a good result tomorrow.

For Yuki it was another new circuit, which meant another tough task. We hope to continue making progress with him — something he’s already shown from the morning to the afternoon session — and we need to take another step forward for tomorrow.”

Manzi wins fierce Race 1 battle to take victory while Okamoto finishes 28th

Stefano Manzi won the first World Supersport race on Saturday afternoon at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. The Italian was locked in an intense battle throughout the race with his rivals, which he ultimately won thanks to a brilliant move in the final corner. His teammate Yuki Okamoto finished 28^th in his first race at Jerez.

Just like on Friday, weather conditions were excellent on Saturday at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, with plenty of sunshine and pleasant temperatures. After a challenging Superpole session, Stefano Manzi had to start the first race of the weekend from ninth on the grid, but thanks to a phenomenal start he was already up to fourth place by the first corner.

On lap four, Manzi took the lead but a fierce fight in the front group continued all the way to the final metres before the finish line. In the last lap, Manzi was running in second place, but with a perfectly prepared final-corner move, the Italian launched his attack and took the lead on the exit of the last corner. With a minimal

Stefano Manzi (P1):
“It was a good race. I didn’t really think about our starting position, I was just focused on recovering as many positions as possible and to make sure I could be in the front group. It was difficult because with the stronger winds in the afternoon, we missed a bit in the fast corners. Everyone was struggling with this, so therefore it was difficult to escape the group. It was a compact group at the front with a big fight in every corner, in every braking point there was an overtake. With five laps to go I took the lead and I got into a fight with Jeremy, which was hard one until the final corner. My winning overtake was old-school style and we made a bit of contact, but he didn’t lose a lot. It was a very nice battle. Tomorrow will be an emotional day with my final race for Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing. We will also race in a special livery which looks super nice, so I hope to be able to bring home a good result.”

Yuki Okamoto (P25 / +36,654):
“Today was not a good day for us. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the steps I wanted. We have struggled but we will keep trying to make improvements. However, I know what I need for tomorrow’s race so let’s see how it will go.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“A resounding victory for Stefano — he rode like a true champion. His fighting spirit shone through, and once again this season we managed a great comeback. The team gave him the feeling that was missing yesterday, and that clearly made the difference. This season he’s discovered a certain connection with the R9, and when he has that feeling he can achieve amazing things, just like today. We can only have great admiration for that and be very proud.
Yuki made progress today, and that will again be our goal for tomorrow.”

Manzi bids farewell to Ten Kate Racing and World Supersport with a podium finish in Jerez

Stefano Manzi finished third in Sunday afternoon’s second World Supersport race at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto. In the final race of the 2025 season – and his last appearance in the World Supersport category – the Italian rider secured his 20^th podium of the year, bringing his three-year spell with Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing to a fitting close.

After claiming a spectacular victory in Race 1 on Saturday, Manzi lined up from third on the grid for the second and final World Supersport race of the weekend at Jerez, which also marked the season finale. He was immediately among the frontrunners and battled for the win throughout much of the race. In the end, the Italian had to settle for third place, collecting his 20^th podium finish of the season from 24 races.

This result marks the end of a successful three-year collaboration between Stefano Manzi and Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing, during which they finished runner-up twice in the World Supersport Championship standings and crowned the 2025 season with the world title. It was Manzi’s first world championship title and the thirteenth in Ten Kate Racing’s illustrious history. Across 72 races together, Manzi and the Nieuwleusen-based team achieved an impressive 56 podium finishes, including 20 victories. Manzi will continue his career with Yamaha in the FIM Superbike World Championship.

For Yuki Okamoto, the final race of his rookie season in World Supersport ended in disappointment. The Japanese rider failed to finish due to a technical issue and concludes the season 30^th in the overall standings.

Stefano Manzi (P3 / +3,262):
“I would have liked to win today because it was my last race in World Supersport, and also because we used this fantastic livery from Yamaha. However, in the end I wasn’t fast enough to win and ended in third place. Still, we managed to secure 20 podium finishes from 24 races so I think we have done a good job this year. The team worked very hard and the bike felt amazing, so I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved. But now I have to realise that everything is done and that I have to start from zero on the Superbike.

It was a very emotional day because in the last three years we scored more than 50 podium finishes. It was an honour to ride for Ten Kate Racing and to win the title for them this year. In November we’ll have an end of season party and we’ll celebrate our achievements, which is very nice because it’s a fantastic team and they have been like a family for me.”

Yuki Okamoto (DNF):
“Unfortunately, we didn’t complete our last race of the season. I had many injuries this year so it was a very difficult season for me, but I learned many things about Pirelli tyres and how to ride the R9. I will come back stronger and I want to say thank you to Yamaha, the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team, my family and my fans who have supported me throughout this journey.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“The 2025 season goes down in the books as a world championship year for Ten Kate Racing with Stefano Manzi, and we are immensely proud of that. To make it even more special, we ended the season with another podium finish in a special livery. With a first and a third place in Jerez, we’ve closed both the season and our special collaboration with Stefano in the best possible way.

It has been a three-year journey in which we finished second twice before finally capturing the title in our third year together. This season, Stefano delivered his absolute best on a brand-new motorcycle model, proving that he is ready — both as a rider and as a person — for the next step in the World Superbike class. We expect great things from him there, and we are proud to once again see one of our riders move up to the WorldSBK category.

Yuki completed his first season with both highs and lows, and we can definitely say that he’s had his share of bad luck. We’re disappointed that we couldn’t turn that around as a team, and unfortunately, this weekend in Jerez was another difficult one for him. It’s now important that we analyse everything carefully, provide Yuki with the right feedback, and prepare for the future. Our apologies to him for today’s DNF — it’s a shame to end the season this way.

We’ll soon announce our riders for 2026, but before that, we’ll take some time to enjoy this fantastic weekend in Jerez, where we were able to host many sponsors, partners, and guests. Friday night’s sponsor event and Saturday’s special livery unveiling were amazing, and these final two weekends in Estoril and Jerez have felt like a dream come true. All of this was made possible thanks to our sponsors, partners, associates, and everyone involved with the team. We’ll personally thank them all soon and plan a proper celebration of this success.”