The opening FIM Supersport World Championship race at Donington Park saw Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider, Stefano Manzi, claim his fifth victory of the season aboard the Yamaha R9, extending his championship lead to an impressive 61 points.
Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) crossed the line in third, fending off pressure from Can Öncü (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) throughout the closing stages of the race.
At the lights, Öncü made the hole shot to take an early lead, pushing pole-sitter, Manzi, into second. As the race progressed, the pair would enter a battle for second, ending with Manzi ahead with 16 laps remaining and Öncü slipping down to fourth.
Later, Manzi took the lead with 14 laps to go, soon slipping back into second behind home rider, Tom Booth-Amos.
A battle for the lead sparked with a handful of laps remaining, with Manzi fighting back and forth with the Brit and coming out in front, before a mistake from his rival allowed the R9 rider to pull a gap at the front, crossing the line victorious after 19-laps.
Further back, an ongoing fight for third place between Öncü and Mahias was decided at the final corner of the final lap, with an unsuccessful attempted overtake from Öncü running the pair wide and causing Mahias to claim the final step on the Donington Park podium.
The opening race of the weekend for GMT94 Yamaha was a tale of two halves, with a hard-charging Roberto Garcia enduring a disappointing end to the race, crashing out of sixth during an attempt to move forwards through the field at Melbourne Hairpin. He eventually crossed the line in 20th.
Meanwhile, Aldi Satya Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) mounted a strong effort from 18th on the grid, fighting forwards to cross the line in an impressive tenth place.
Having set the fastest lap of the race, Manzi will start from pole position yet again for Race 2 tomorrow, joined on the front row with Öncü in third. On row 2, Mahias and Garcia will start from fourth and fifth respectively, with Mahendra in 18th.
FULL RACE ONE RESULTS
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), Race 1: 1st, Championship: 1st
“Today was an amazing day for the team and I. The weekend got off to a great start yesterday, and it feels nice to have got the win today. I really enjoy riding here at Donington Park and feel happy heading into tomorrow. It was a tight battle at the front. I was struggling to match Tom’s pace during the middle of the race, but in the end, I was able to reduce the small gap he had over me. To have extended my lead in the championship is also a great feeling, but right now, we’re focusing on today’s win. It feels nice to come out on top.”
