WorldSSP – Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) wins with Jerez masterclass.

Any FIM Supersport World Championship rustiness for Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) after missing the Catalunya Round was soon shaken off as he claimed victory in the sole WorldSSP race for the Motul Spanish Round, finishing almost ten seconds clear of his rivals at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto while Yamaha wrapped up the Manufacturers’ Championship for the fifth consecutive campaign.

As the lights went out, Championship leader Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) got the jump from second on the grid to take the lead of the race while Italian debutant Stefano Manzi (GMT94 Yamaha) made progress off the line as he moved into the top five for his first WorldSSP start. From there, he was unchallenged for race victory went on to win by over ten seconds, with his winning enough to wrap up the Manufacturers’ Championship for Yamaha for the fifth time in a row. Aegerter joins Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) as the only two riders who have taken ten victories in a single WorldSSP campaign, while he now has 12 podiums and sits just one behind Kenan Sofuoglu for the all-time record.

Aegerter was able to break away from the chasing pack by posting a lap record of 1’45.525s on the second lap before lowering it to 1’42.329s a few laps later, extending his lead to Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) by over a second by the third lap. The win for Aegerter means he extends his Championship lead to 62 points over title rival Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), with the South African rider finishing eighth; Odendaal making a mistake on Lap 2 at Turn 13 and dropping down the order.

The battle for the podium raged on throughout the 17-lap encounter with Oettl being hounded by Spanish sensation Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team) chasing the German down throughout the race. Gonzalez was unable to make his move in the first half of the race which allowed finish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) to close in, applying the pressure to Gonzalez as he chased another podium finish. Tuuli made the move at Turn 13 on Lap 9 to move into third and soon set his sights on Oettl after the battle with Gonzalez allowed the German to break away. Oettl claimed second place ahead of Tuuli in third place, with Gonzalez unable to respond and finished fourth; Oettl’s podium the 150th podium placement in WorldSSP.

P1 Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
“The race was very good. The conditions were very hot so the asphalt was also hot, but the Ten Kate team again did a great job. They made a small change on the bike for the hotter conditions. We didn’t have a drop on the tyre. We started from second position, a good start and I could manage the gap. For sure, I dedicate this victory to Dean who passed away yesterday. It was a sad day yesterday. Today, we could race for him.”

P2 Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
“For me, the race was over after Turn 8 because I caught something with my front wheel. I had a lot of vibration in that corner. I checked if I had a puncture or whatever and then Domi was gone. It’s sad we did the maximum this weekend and still finished in second place. It just shows how far away we are off even if we´re doing everything right. Disappointing weekend and overall, I think there are more important things than racing. I’m happy to be back on the podium. I’m very disappointed. The team did an amazing job and we couldn’t do more.”

P3 Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti)
“Now I’m happier than in Barcelona because I improved myself so much in the race. All weekend, my feeling was not good. We can push for maybe one lap or two, but we are just too far from the front. We changed completely the bike from this morning’s Warm-Up and the feeling wasn’t good again. We just tried to check which setting was best from the weekend and I say, ‘I don’t care, we just need to put something’. They put something on the bike, and we go and race. I tried to keep my head because at the start we lose a couple of positions and just trying to keep the pace. In the end, I could push a little bit more because I started to feel better. I’m so happy I caught up. In the second last lap, I tried to push more, and I started to lose the front, so I took the third place.”

WorldSSP Results Race 2

1. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
2. Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +9.609s
3. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti) +10.251s
4. Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGO Team) +11.861s
5. Federico Caricasulo (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing) +13.153s
6. Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +14.592s.

Championship Standings (after Race 2, Round 10)

1. Dominique Aegerter (SUI) Yamaha (327 points)
2. Steven Odendaal (RSA) Yamaha (265 points)
3. Philipp Oettl (GER) Kawasaki (217 points).

Credits : Photos and content courtesy of Dorna WSBK Organization Srl