Dominique Aegerter enjoyed another sensational FIM Supersport World Championship weekend, with pole position, fastest lap and a pair of victories at Navarra, seeing the Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team rider extend his championship lead over Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Steven Odendaal, who twice finished second, with bLU cRU graduate Luca Bernardi third in both races.
After a dominant Superpole performance, where he took pole position by 0.624s, Aegerter had work to do in both Navarra races, after dropping back initially on the starts. In Race 1, he ran fifth on the opening lap, but gradually made his way through the field, passing Odendaal on lap 12, before pulling out a 4.425s advantage by the chequered flag.
In Sunday’s race, the Swiss rider again found himself outside the podium places on the first tour, but was able to move back into the top three on lap five. Aegerter clawed into Odendaal’s 1.6s lead and by lap seven, the former Moto2 rider was right behind. The pair then continued to swap positions over the next six laps, with Aegerter finally making it stick on lap 14, as they headed through the first few corners. A red flag on lap 15 for a crash further back ended the race early, seeing Aegerter claim his eighth win of his rookie season.
After qualifying third, Odendaal found himself out front early in Race 1, battling with ParkinGO Yamaha’s Manuel Gonzalez. After Gonzalez fell, the South African then had to defend from Aegerter but couldn’t hold him off, eventually finishing second. On Sunday, Odendaal enjoyed another strong start and built a healthy lead early on. After holding off Aegerter for several laps, the 28-year-old dropped behind on lap 14, but was able to stick with his title rival before the red flag ended any hopes of a comeback.
19-year-old rookie sensation Bernardi battled inside the top five in both races, but showed good late pace to climb into the top three on both occasions. In Race 2, the Italian CM Racing rider was catching Odendaal and Aegerter as they fought for the lead, but had to settle for third following the early stoppage, his fifth podium of 2021.
GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Jules Cluzel just missed out on a first podium since Misano in the Navarra races, finishing fourth on Saturday and fifth on Sunday, fighting with Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Federico Caricasulo in both races. The Italian matched Cluzel’s points haul from the weekend, finishing fifth and fourth for his best weekend of the season so far.
Kallio Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Simon Jespersen enjoyed a strong maiden weekend in the championship, with the wildcard rider fighting for the podium spots early in the races. The Danish rider’s lack of long-run experience saw him drop down the order in both, while he was still able to take ninth and eighth by the finish.
After finishing 11th in Race 1, Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Galang Hendra Pratama fell on Sunday, while Kallio Racing Yamaha’s Vertti Takala scored points on Saturday in 14th, with GMT94 Yamaha wildcard Dani Valle 14th in Race 2.
Evan Bros Yamaha’s Peter Sebestyen just missed out on points in Race 2, finishing 17th, while Biblion Motoxracing’s Maria Herrera was 19th on Saturday on her return from injury. Gonzalez, who had qualified second, was in the front fight in Race 1, but fell and dislocated his shoulder, seeing him forced to sit out the remainder of the weekend.
Dominque Aegerter: P1 & P1
Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team
“The perfect weekend for me, I took all the points I could, with the fastest lap and pole position. In the second race I had a better start but still dropped back a little. I had a hard battle to get back to the front and close the gap to Steven. It was not easy to overtake him, but when I got ahead I was feeling comfortable. A big thanks to the Ten Kate team and Yamaha, as well as my sponsors, family and friends. A great weekend for us. We are fast in a different way compared to the other riders, they seem to be quick at the start, but then I can pull back later in the race. This is still a young project for the team, so it’s great that we’re able to be winning this many races already and I look forward to Magny-Cours.”
Steven Odendaal: P2 & P2
Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team
“I had a good second race, setting a strong pace out front. Obviously, it wasn’t good enough because Dominique caught me, and the win wasn’t really a possibility this weekend. Still, 40 points in the bag, anything can happen in the championship, so I will continue to push at Magny-Cours. The bike felt much better than in Race 1, I think I could’ve kept up with Dominique before the red flag but who knows.”
Luca Bernardi: P3 & P3
CM Racing Team
“It was another good race for me on Sunday, I’m happy for the second podium and to get important points for the championship. The team did a great job, and maybe without the red flag I could have been fighting for second with Steven, but it’s difficult to know. I’d like to thank everyone for the support, I’m now looking forward to Magny-Cours, I haven’t been there with the Yamaha R6, so we will see what we can do.”
