The GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team are ready to return to action after the summer break at the Lausitzring this weekend for round eight of the 2017 FIM Supersport World Championship. Lucas Mahias leads the championship standings by five points and after a successful two-day test at the Lausitzring during the break, feels confident about taking the fight to his rivals. His teammate Federico Caricasulo returned to the podium at the last round in Misano and wants to kick-start the second half of the season in similar style.
Mahias’ performances so far this season have been nothing short of sensational. The 28-year-old French rider was victorious at Aragon and has four second places to his name in the first seven races. He sits on top of the championship standings with 105 points and has a five-point advantage over his nearest rival. Mahias is looking to bounce back from his DNF at Misano in style, and after conducting a private test at the Lausitzring during the summer break, is confident he can hit the ground running on Friday and take the championship battle to his rivals at a track where he has finished on the podium before.
Caricasulo is also looking forward to returning to action after the summer break, as the long time away from racing has helped to allow him recover from a shoulder injury that affected him during the first part of the season. The 21-year-old Italian was victorious in Thailand and returned to the podium with an excellent third place last time out at Misano. He is confident that the work he completed at the recent test will help him become a regular podium contender during the second half of the season. He currently lies fifth in the championship standings with 51 points after seven races.
The GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team take to the track on Friday at the Lausitzring at 9am local time for Free Practice 1, with Qualifying beginning at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday’s 23-lap race scheduled for 11:30am.
Federico Caricasulo
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team – 5th – 51pts
“I am excited and ready to get back into action this weekend at the Lausitzring! The summer break has been nice, but now it is time to go back to racing. We had a private test at the Lausitzring during the break and I was really quick, so I am hoping to be able to carry that pace into the race weekend. My aim this weekend is to get back on the podium to get the second half of the season off to the best possible start!”
Filippo Conti
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team Manager
“I am so happy to be getting back into action. The summer break was very long, but we managed a very good two-day test at the Lausitzring, where we tried some new updates and got some great feedback from the riders, plus their lap times were excellent. We were also able to find a base setting for the Lausitzring that will mean we should be able to hit the ground running on Friday. It can be tricky weather-wise at the Lausitzring, but luckily, we experienced all types of weather during our test, so we are confident we are well prepared for anything. Lucas’ championship lead is now down to just five points so his target for the rest of the season is simply to go out and win. Honestly, it’s almost like starting from scratch and it should be an amazing second half of the season. The summer break gave Federico the chance to return to 100% fitness with his shoulder injury and after his excellent podium at the last round in Misano, plus a positive test, he is feeling confident he can establish himself as a regular podium contender for the rest of the season!”
Lucas Mahias
GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team – 1st – 105pts