Roberto Garcia clinched his maiden victory in the FIM Supersport World Championship in a restarted Race 2 at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours as Albert Arenas fought through the pain barrier to extend his championship lead with second place.
Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing), who had to undergo a medical check to ride on Sunday after an incident involving another rider on Saturday, got a strong start from 13th on the grid to fight at the front from the off as Sunday’s Race 2 got underway, with race one victor Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) also looking strong, leading the race at the mid-way point. However, a fall for Tom Booth-Amos brought out the red flag on Lap 11, just one lap short of two thirds distance.
The race was restarted over five laps, and it was a frenetic battle with a strong R9 contingent at the front, including Öncü, series leader Arenas and GMT94 Yamaha’s Garcia.
Öncü was looking to take the win on the final lap when a mistake saw him lose the lead and ultimately cross the line fourth, allowing Garcia through to take a maiden victory ahead of Arenas in second.
Filippo Farioli (VFT Racing Yamaha) enjoyed a strong ride to sixth, with the second AS BLU CRU Racing R9 of Aldi Mahendra finishing eighth with local hero Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) rounding out the top ten. Yuki Okamoto (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) continued his stronger weekend with 16th position.
After losing points on Saturday, Arenas’ resurgence saw him extend his series lead back to 70 points, with Öncü still third in the overall standings.
The season resumes at the Cremona Circuit, Italy, between 25-27 September.
Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha)
“This feeling is amazing. Yesterday I was disappointed to miss the win, so today my goal was to win! In the first start I made a small mistake at the start, but when I saw the red flag, I thought this could be my chance. I pushed as hard as I could, and we were able to make it happen. It’s great, not just for me but for my team as it is their home race, and for Yamaha too.”
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