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The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

22 Mai 2022

Montella And Öncü Fight All The Way

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing’s Yari Montella and Can Öncü placed fourth and fifth respectively in a breathless 18-lap second Estoril WorldSSP race that featured non-stop passing and competitiveness throughout.

Ambient conditions determined much in the second WorldSSP race of the weekend, with a leaden sky starting to drop very gentle rain intermittently through the race. Slick tyres were used by all, as the track conditions were only occasionally affected.

Several riders mastered the conditions fully, with Öncü and Montella among them, and both were firmly in the potential podium mix.

Can led the race more than once and Montella came close to what would have been his first WorldSSP podium, losing out to Lorenzo Baldassarri by only 0.105 seconds.

Yari’s push to try and secure a podium finish saw him confident enough to try and pass his rival around the outside in the final corner, setting up a tense sprint to the line along the extensive Estoril main straight.

Can eventually found his tyre choice not ideal for the final track conditions and he dropped to fifth place, gathering more valuable points after finishing fourth in Race One on Saturday.

In the championship standings Can is fifth with 56 points and Yari has jumped up to sixth place, with 43 points.

The fourth round of the championship takes place at the home venue of the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Team, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, between 10-12 June.

Can Öncü, stated: “It was a difficult race and we chose the wrong tyres, so we made a small mistake. Apart from this I think we did a really good job and today was very positive for us. We are fast and everybody can see it. This weekend was not the best weekend maybe but I know that I will be much faster in Misano.”

Yari Montella, stated: “I’m really pleased with fourth place today. I did all I could to reach the podium in the final stages, but I just missed out. This result reflects all the hard work I’m doing with the team and, with their help, I’m adapting to the bike and learning to exploit its full potential. Now we have to look ahead and prepare for my home round of Misano.”

Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) was a battling seventh, in the leading group in his first year of WorldSSP competition. He in now tenth in the overall standings, with 34 points from six races.

Recently injured Ben Currie (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Kawasaki) made a strong return to the track this weekend with 15th place and a championship point in Race Two. Jeffrey Buis (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Kawasaki) was 17th today.

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