Yamaha’s bLU cRU FIM Supersport 300 World Championship racers finally got their 2020 season underway today in Jerez and they did it in the best way possible, with an emphatic race win. The victory came courtesy of an incredible performance by 16-year-old Unai Orradre, who dominated the second half of the race to win by more than two seconds, a winning margin unheard of in WorldSSP.
The Yamaha MS Racing WorldSSP300 Supported Team rider has enjoyed a strong Jerez weekend from the start, building his pace during free practice before turning in a superb performance in Superpole to qualify second and secure a front row start for today’s 10-lap race.
All five of the Yamaha bLU cRU class of 2020 secured their grid slots for the race by qualifying inside the top 30, avoiding the uncertainty of the infamous WorldSSP300 Last Chance Race.
From the start both Orradre and Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300 Supported Team rider Bahattin Sofuoglu were sat comfortably in the lead group, but while Sofuoglu was having to battle to maintain position, Orradre was able to take advantage of his superior pace to make a break and start pulling away from the battle for the remaining podium positions.
His pursuers never saw him again, and the Yamaha MS Racing rider placed his R3 GYTR kitted bike on the top step of the podium. Meanwhile Sofuoglu managed to avoid an incident at Turn 7, that claimed two riders in the closing stages, to finish a creditable sixth and his Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha teammate Alvaro Diaz made it three bLU cRU riders in the top 10 with a ninth-place finish.
Yamaha MS Racing rider Ton Kawakami narrowly missed out on the top 10, with the Brazilian crossing the line in 11th position, while Alan Kroh was unfortunate to finish just outside the points in 16th.
The Yamaha bLU cRU youngsters have it all to do again tomorrow, with WorldSSP300 Race 2 scheduled to be contested over 10 laps, with lights out at 15.15 CEST.
Unai Orradre: Yamaha MS Racing WorldSSP300 Supported Team – P1
“To take my first world championship win here today is an incredible feeling and I’m very happy. In the first part of the race I stayed in the lead group, but just after the halfway point I decided to try to go alone and I managed to pull a bit of a gap at the front. From then it was just a case of trying to maintain the advantage, but I actually managed to extend the gap over the final laps. To win today was amazing, but now we need to focus on Race 2 tomorrow, where I hope we can be in the lead group again and in a position to fight for another victory. Thank you to both the MS Racing Team and Yamaha for their incredible support.”
Alberto Barozzi: Yamaha Motor Europe bLU cRU Racing Manager
“I am so proud of the whole bLU cRU squad. Unai did a fantastic job this weekend and his race win today can be attributed to both his hard work and the efforts of the bLU cRU support staff. We kept the riders motivated and informed during the coronavirus lockdown with a series of digital masterclasses and that paid dividends today, not just with Unai’s win, but also with the strong results of all our bLU cRU riders. This is a victory for the whole team and II want to thank everyone involved in our bLU cRU project for their commitment and dedication. The Yamaha MS Racing and Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha teams did a fantastic job preparing our R3 GYTR machines and the riders did a great job today. So well done to Unai, Bahattin, Alvaro, Ton and Alan and let’s know focus on doing the same, or even better, in tomorrow’s race.”
