Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing) extended his lead in the FIM Supersport World Championship with a second place in Race 1 at Donington Park, increasing the gap at the front to 68 points over this nearest rival and continuing his streak of consecutive podium finishes.
Arenas settled into second place after a clean launch from the lights, before coming under attack on lap seven. After dropping back as far as fourth place, the Spaniard kept his cool and regrouped, fighting his way back to second position where he stayed for the remainder of the race.
It was Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) who took control from the start of the race, leading for the opening nine laps and looking like he would take his first win of the season. However, charges from Aldi Satya Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) and Tom Booth-Amos at the midway point of the race would demote Öncü to third place. The Turkish rider would face more hardship before the chequered flag, ultimately ending the 19-lap race in fifth place. Despite this, Öncü closed the gap to third place in the championship to just nine points.
Mahendra had a strong start to his race, charging to the front of the pack and challenging the leaders throughout, however the Indonesian rider suffered during the closing stages and crossed the line in ninth place.
Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha), who started from sixth place on the grid made strong progress throughout, battling his way to fourth place across the line taking valuable points and moving himself into the top-ten of the championship standings.
The second GMT94 bike of Lucas Mahias suffered some difficulties, with the Frenchman able to complete a lap that will crucially see him start from the front row of tomorrow’s grid. Yuki Okamoto (Pata Ten Kate Yamaha) crossed the line in 21st place.
Mahias will be joined by Arenas in third place on the front row of tomorrow’s grid, while Garcia and Öncü will start from the second row in fourth and sixth place respectively.
Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing) – Race 1: 2nd, Championship: 1st (271 points)
“The result was good for us even though it was a tough race. From the first lap I didn’t have the grip I wanted, and I tried to stay calm and manage the tyre. I tried to chase first place but ran out of grip in the end and couldn’t close the gap. It’s my first time here in Donington so tomorrow we will try and improve the bike and improve the grip and try to get a better result. We are keeping the focus on getting the maximum from every race, and this is the most important thing for the championship.”
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