Can Öncü charged through from 13th on the grid to take his first victory of the 2026 FIM Supersport World Championship in style at the Circuit de Nevers, Magny-Cours on Saturday, getting the better of Yamaha team-mate Roberto Garcia in a thrilling last lap battle.
Öncü, who entered the weekend fourth in the championship had endured a frustrating season to date, missing out on the win on a number of occasions. The Turkish ace showed speed from the off in Magny-Cours, but an unfortunate technical issue in Superpole left him with work to do from 13th on the grid.
From the first and second rows, GMT94 Yamaha riders Lucas Mahias and Roberto Garcia got a strong start, with an impressive launch from VFT Racing’s Filippo Farioli moving the Italian into the podium spots early in the race.
The race would not be without its drama, and this made things easier for Öncü as he tried to progress through the pack, with a number of crashes in front of the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing rider paving a clearer path to the leading group.
Disaster struck for championship leader Albert Arenas at the mid-way point, as contact with another rider saw him crash out of the race. He was taken to the medical centre with an injured hand and will need to be reviewed by the medical team ahead of Warm Up to confirm his participation on Sunday.
As Öncü took to the front, his closest challenger would become Roberto Garcia, the Spaniard on the hunt for his maiden WorldSSP victory and what would be an emphatic home win for the GMT94 team. A frenetic battle between Öncü and Garcia ensued over the final few laps, but Öncü prevailed to cross the line just over a tenth ahead of his challenger.
Mahias missed out on a home podium crossing the line in fourth, while Aldi Satya Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing) made up for a challenging qualifying to take eighth in the opening race ahead of Farioli.
Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing’s Yuki Okamoto secured his best WorldSSP result to date in 13th.
Having set the second fastest lap of the race, Aldi Mahendra will lead Yamaha’s charge on Sunday from the front row of the grid with Filippo Farioli starting fifth. Can Öncü’s life will be a little easier launching from sixth, with second-placed Garcia starting eighth on the grid. Should series leader Arenas be able to start, he’ll line up 13th on row five.
The second and final race of the weekend gets underway at 12:40 local time.
Can Öncü (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – Race 1: 1st
“After qualifying, I was hoping for a podium but it looks like coming from the back works better for me! I am very happy and thankful to the team as they gave me a great bike for the race after yesterday. I was trying to stay relaxed during the race as one of my problems this year has been getting a bit excited in the races. In the long summer break, Kenan [Sofuoğlu] worked with me on how to be calmer on the bike. It is nice to take my first win with Ten Kate, it has taken us a while but last year I was second in both races here, so it is nice to win, especially after a good battle with Roberto and Lucas.”
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