Albert Arenas returned to the top step of the FIM Supersport World Championship podium with a fourth victory of his title-winning campaign in front of a home crowd at the Circuito de Jerez, Spain.
Marking one week since he was crowned 2026 Supersport World Champion in Estoril, Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing) held off an early challenge from R9 rival Can Öncü to take a dominant win in Race 1 on Saturday.
Starting from pole position, Arenas got a strong launch but a determined Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) pushed the World Champion hard in the opening laps, and despite keeping the pressure on Arenas as the race went on, it would ultimately not be enough as the #75 R9 started to break away.
Öncü would then face a challenge to stay on the podium as his pace dropped in the closing stages, losing second to Jeremy Alcoba before managing to hold on to third place by just 0.034 seconds. The podium position sees Öncü hold on to third position in the championship, just one point ahead of Alcoba.
At the front, Alcoba tried to chase Arenas down, but the Champion had enough in hand to cross the line more than half a second in front of his rival.
Filippo Farioli (VFT Racing Yamaha) recovered from a challenging Superpole session to finish eighth, while the GMT94 Yamaha team endured a challenging Saturday with Lucas Mahias crossing the line 12th and Roberto Garcia in 20th position. AS BLU CRU Racing’s Aldi Satya Mahendra finished 19th.
Yuki Okamoto (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) made a promising start and was well within the points-paying positions when he crashed out on the opening lap. The former Japanese Superbike Champion was taken to the medical centre and declared unfit with chest and abdomen contusions and is likely to miss Sunday’s race.
Having set the second fastest lap of the race, Öncü will lead the R9 from second on the grid for Race 2 ahead of Arenas, who completes the front row in third. The final race of the season gets underway at 14:00 CEST.
Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing) – Race 1: 1st
“It was a great race for us! I have felt strong since the first laps of the weekend and I was able to manage the pace in the race perfectly, so I am super happy. It is really special to win here in Jerez, there are a lot of people here and it’s nice to step onto the podium in front of my home crowd. I was trying my best to keep my focus and to manage the rear tyre, and I knew I had a little bit more for the end but it was not too necessary. I think there are some areas we can improve for tomorrow, especially in the second half of the race, so I’m looking forward to getting back out for Race 2.”
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