A full weekend of race action was conducted mostly - and unseasonably - in dry and relatively warm April weather conditions. Both WorldSSP300 contests were finally held in the dry and as ever provided thrilling entertainment as the mostly young complement of riders had another no holds barred battle of wills and nerve over all three days out on track.
With Superpole Qualifying taking place on Friday the good early weather that allowed some consistent and grippy track conditions. Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport) was the quickest rider in Superpole, with his overall Prodina stablemate David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki) second quickest.
The first WorldSSP300 race of the weekend, held over 12-laps was again conducted in almost summery conditions. That allowed the massed ranks of riders - 30 in all - to ride with their usual bravado from the first lap until the last.
A breakaway leading group contained several Kawasaki Ninja 400 riders but on the final lap it would consist of three of them. All six of the top Race One finishers could have won the race and they flashed across the line after exiting the infamous final Geert Timmer chicane separated by just 0.616 seconds.
Pole man Garcia was third, just 0.191 seconds from race winning glory. Salvador was a close fourth, with Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) sixth. The Aussie had been fourth fastest rider in Superpole qualifying.
Just over 11 seconds behind the runaway train of riders - which had earlier lost recent Portimao race sensation Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki) - was Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing Kawasaki). He was seventh and at the head of another closely packed group of warring riders when it counted most - across the finish line. This was his first race of the season, after losing his planned ride at a relatively late stage.
Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza - Box77 Racing Kawasaki) and the seventh place qualifier, Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki), were the final two Kawasaki riders inside the top ten places - ninth and tenth respectively. Their strong rides ensured that six of the top ten places on offer in the opening race went to Ninja 400 riders.
The final points scorer on a Kawasaki was the now highly experienced (in terms of this class at least, which is designed for younger rider at the start of their international careers) was Kevin Sabatucci (Accolade Funds Smrz Racing BGR Kawasaki).
Petr Svoboda (Kawasaki Junior Team by MTM) had an unlucky Saturday, falling heavily on the tenth lap and no-scoring. He was later declared fit to ride in the second race on Sunday.
Race Two, also over 12 laps, got underway at 12.45 - but only after morning rains. The track itself was dry in time for the race but it was not providing quite as much grip as Race One.
That factor played no part in the thought processes of the squabbling field of riders, with no less than ten combatants comprising the leading group on Sunday.
Nine riders would cross the line within one second of each other, with the closest finish in the history of this epically close racing category being recorded between the final leading duo.
Riders from four manufacturers had been competing like every lap was the last from the first circuit of the second race. Not all of the top Kawasaki riders would finish, including early faller Roberto Fernandez (Kawasaki Junior Team by MTM) and the luckless Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki). The latter, a proven contender from previous seasons, has only been able to finish one race so far this year.
Up front, as the laps ticked over at high speed, there were three potential race-winners running Kawasaki Ninja 400 machines. The best finisher would be second placed David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki), who crossed the line a seemingly impossible 0.001 seconds behind race winner, Jeffrey Buis. That was the closest margin of victory ever recorded in WorldSSP300.
In his first WorldSSP300 meeting of the season, Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing Kawasaki) secured third place on Sunday, after a predictably messy final chicane ‘sort-out’ on the last lap saw some riders receive penalties for exceeding track limits. Some of them by very large margins.
Thompson was one of the riders penalised, leaving him sixth overall but still the third Kawasaki rider inside the top six. Torres was the last Kawasaki rider in the large leading group. He was ninth - but in another statistical quirk he was exactly one full second behind the winner.
Sabatucci picked up the tenth place finish and Julio Garcia was 11th, having suffered a last lap penalty for exceeding track limits. The last Kawasaki points scorer in Race Two was Emiliano Ercolani (Kawasaki GP Project), in 14th place. Osuna Saez was 16th and Svoboda 17th despite his big race one crash.
In the championship points Buis leads with 75, Garcia has 61, Beñat Fernandez 60, Salvador 44 and Thompson 43.
In the Manufacturers’ championship Kawasaki is second with 76 points to KTM’s 85. In the Teams’s Championship Team Prodina XCI Kawasaki is second, Team Prodina Racing Sport Kawasaki is third and MTM Kawasaki sixth.
The WorldSSP300 riders will not compete at the next WorldSBK round in Cremona, which means that they will reconvene at the Czech venue of the Autodrom Most (making it a home round for Petr Svoboda), between 16-18 May.
Rider Comments
Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport), stated: “I am very happy with the work we are doing, both the team and I. FP1 went well and we managed to find a good set-up to try to get a good time in qualifying. We managed to get pole and I am really happy about that. It was a tough first race because the wind was very strong and the riders in the leading group were really competitive. In Race Two I felt comfortable and the bike worked well. On the final lap I wasn’t very lucky. I gave everything to reach the podium, but today it just wasn’t possible. Now, I’m looking forward to the next race, where I’ll give it my all to make up for the frustration of today.”
David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki), stated: “I’m satisfied with Saturday’s race. After the crash in the warm-up, the team did a really good job getting the bike ready for the race. That’s a positive aspect for us. I want to thank my mechanics because they did an exceptional job. I felt quite good after the race, although I think I made a small mistake in the final sector, and the win probably slipped away right there. I’m really happy with the podium finish in Race Two. It’s an important result for me, for the team, and for my mechanics, who have always given their best. We’re doing a great job and the team is preparing the bike perfectly. I feel confident and motivated to give my all. Now we’ll enjoy this podium together and then get straight back to work to prepare in the best possible way for the next race.”
Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing Kawasaki), stated: “Race Two was a crazy, crazy race like every one of the races in WorldSSP300! But it was a good one because I could put the bike into the last corner in third position. I am happy, but I want to say thank you to the team, which is the most important thing right now. They gave me the opportunity to race here.”
Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki), stated: “I felt pretty positive all weekend and had a good feeling from the start. I only had to make a few small changes through the weekend. In the races I had good pace but in the last couple of laps, in both races, I was a bit unfortunate because of contacts with other riders. But, we got solid points towards the championship each time. We just have to keep racking up points and stay consistent. I am looking forward to the next round in Most and hopefully we can show some more there.”
Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI Kawasaki), stated: “We knew that starting a bit further back would make the first race tricky, with a lot of overtakes to make. The start was good, I immediately settled into the group, but unfortunately, on the third lap, a contact with another rider ended my race. Race Two was a really tough and hard-fought, with a very large group of riders. We also faced some weather-related difficulties, since it rained in the morning. It was dry in the afternoon but very windy. It wasn’t easy at all. In any case, it was a bit of a chaotic race, with lots of overtakes and contacts. It really put us to the test.”
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