Newsletter

The official race report service of Kawasaki Racing Team.

10 Avril 2022

Montella Scores At Motorland

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing riders Can Öncü and Yari Montella were both on course for strong finishes in the second FIM Supersport World Championship race at Motorland Aragon, with Montella eventually finishing in seventh place. Öncü had to retire on the final lap.

After securing third place in the first WorldSSP race of the season on Saturday Öncü was in determined mood to score a podium finish again on Sunday, ideally with a race win.

Running out front with the eventual 1-2 finishers Dominique Aegerter and Lorenzo Baldassarri, Can was in a close third place when he was forced to stop with an electrical issue on the final lap.

Montella, a rookie rider in 2022,  secured seventh place at the flag and as a result was top Kawasaki rider on the day. He had been fourth on lap one but dropped positions to eighth place, before being promoted to seventh on the final lap.

In the championship standings Can is seventh with 16 points after his Race One podium finish on Saturday. Montella is 12th with nine points.

Round Two of the championship will be held at Assen in the Netherlands, between 22-24 April.

Can Öncü, stated: “What bad luck. I was in the leading group all race long, trying to conserve the tyres of the final laps, but at a certain point the bike switched off and I had no choice but to retire. Unbelievable, also because it wasn’t the engine, but an electrical component. While I’m disappointed about the result, our performance in the first two races has confirmed our potential. Now we’ll turn the page and focus on the next round at Assen.”

Yari Montella, stated: “Today’s result boosts morale for the next races. After yesterday’s bad luck, today I tried not to make any mistakes and understand how to exploit the bike’s potential. I was able to maintain a strong pace, but my inexperience in terms of tyre management showed and I lost a few positions. We’ve taken a good step forward anyway and so I am optimistic as we look ahead to the Assen race in two weeks’ time. Big thanks to the team.”

2022 rookie Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) was as high as fifth in the opening laps of the race before finishing 11th, scoring points for the second race in succession. He is second best placed Kawasaki rider in the standings, in ninth place, with 12 points.

Tom Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing Kawasaki) took the final point on offer for 15th place in Race Two. He is 16th overall, with four championship points. Jeffrey Buis (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Kawasaki) was 18th and Eugene McManus (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti Kawasaki) 23rd in Race Two.

                                    #NinjaSpirit