After Alvaro Diaz won the riders’ title on Saturday, Yamaha was crowned Manufacturers’ Champions in the final FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race of 2022, which saw Italy’s Mirko Gennai lead a Yamaha 1-2-3 at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal.
With eight victories split between four riders, this WorldSSP300 season marks Yamaha’s first riders’ and manufacturers’ crowns since the inaugural campaign in 2017.
In Race 2 today, the Portuguese fans were treated to another thrilling contest, with the top 20 riders all inside the lead battle. Several Yamaha riders were in the fight right at the front of the group throughout, with Gennai, fellow Italian Matteo Vannucci, newly-crowned champion Diaz, and 2022 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup title rivals Enzo Valentim and Devis Bergamini all taking it in turns to lead the field throughout the 13-lap race.
As the race settled in, Vannucci enjoyed a lengthy stint out front, before Diaz, Valentim and Bergamini all managed to muscle their way through after the midway point. With just a few laps remaining, Gennai then made his presence known, powering through from 20th into the lead and building a small gap over the chasing pack.
The 19-year-old maintained his advantage until the chequered flag, seeing him end the season with his maiden WorldSSP300 championship victory. Behind, Diaz rounded off his title-winning campaign with a stellar ride to second, taking his final podium count to 11 for the season.
2022 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup bronze medallist Bergamini looked set for a stunning podium finish in only his second WorldSSP300 race, but while running a comfortable third on the final lap, the Italian crashed heavily in the last corner ending his chances. That promoted Vannucci to third, seeing him end the season as top rookie, with two victories and three podiums.
Valentim, taking part in his second WorldSSP300 race since winning the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup title, backed up his fine ride to eighth in Race 1 with another superb performance on Sunday, finishing sixth and just 0.344s off the podium.
Marco Gaggi enjoyed his best result of 2022 in eighth, while Marc Garcia was unable to make significant progress, taking the final point in 15th.
For Race 2 results and the Final Standings, click here.
Mirko Gennai: P1
“Finally, I go home with a victory. We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time! I’m so happy because with five laps to go I was in P20. It’s difficult to overtake the riders in front but in the last two laps, I was able to slipstream my way through and get the win. I don’t have words, I’m so happy. This is dedicated to Victor Steeman. Stay strong!”
Alvaro Diaz: P2
“Today, the race was difficult and the last two laps were crazy. I’m very happy to finish in second place for my last race though. This season was very difficult, but in the end we are champions and I finish it all with a podium. Thanks to my team, Yamaha, and everyone who has supported me!”
Matteo Vannucci: P3
“It was a fantastic battle in Race 2. Unfortunately for me, in Race 1 I crashed with another rider, but finally today I finished third. I’m very happy for this. It was my first time racing on this circuit and the Yamaha was very strong here. Thanks to my team, my fans and my sponsors.”
Andrea Dosoli
Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager
“It has been a fantastic season for Yamaha in the WorldSSP300 class. First, we had one of our bLU cRU graduates, Alvaro Diaz, win the riders’ title yesterday, and now we end 2022 with our first manufacturers’ championship since 2017. We have really seen a lot of young talent on our R3 bikes this season, with eight victories from four different riders, so it’s thanks to them, as well as the hard work done by the teams, that we can celebrate this title. We have a lot of promising riders coming from our bLU cRU program, so we’re excited to see what they can achieve next year as well.”
