WorldSSP: Six in a row for Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), Baldassarri and Bulega keep the pressure on.

Aegerter emerged as the winner of a hard-fought race which saw Bulega lead most of the race and Baldassarri take the flag – until being ultimately demoted to 2nd.

P1 – Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)

• Aegerter was promoted to victory following Baldassari’s penalty after battling with Baldassarri and Bulega.
• His sixth consecutive win means he now has the second longest winning streak in WorldSSP.
• The reigning WorldSSP Champion has extended his Championship lead to 49 points after just seven races so far in 2022.

“It’s not always so easy to win. I was fighting for the win for all the race. I took the lead in the last lap. Bulega, with his Ducati, was very difficult to overtake. I needed to change my riding style. The last lap I was thinking that I could be in front, but Baldassarri was overtaking me. I tried to overtake him back on the last corner. He overtook me in the outside, but he exceeded the track limit. Tomorrow, we have another race. I will work tonight to analyse how we can be more competitive from the start on.”

P2 – Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros.WorldSSP Yamaha Team)

• Baldassarri crossed the line in first place but was demoted one place for a track limits infringement on the final lap.
• He finished in second place as he claimed his sixth podium finish of 2022.

“I was coming from behind and Aegerter and Bulega were very strong. I thought Bulega was escaping in the first part of the race but in the end, Aegerter caught up with him in the middle of the race. I managed very well the last two laps so I’m very happy about the race and the team work. I cannot wait for the next race. I don’t know why in the last corner I exceeded the track limit, but these are the rules. I must check the images to try to not repeat it tomorrow.”

P3 – Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

• Bulega had a solid race start as the Italian rookie moved into the lead of the race on the opening lap.
• He secured a podium finish for the fourth time this season.

“It was a really good race, maybe my best one this year! It was a really good race until the last part, because for the second half of the race I had a technical issue with the brake. So I wasn’t able to use the rear break anymore. In the end, it’s another podium finish here in front of the Italian fans. I will try to win tomorrow!”

The battle for fourth was decided on the line in a battle with four riders looking to finish as high up as possible. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was battling with teammate Yari Montella throughout the race and the pair were involved in the scrap for fourth place, with Oncu coming home in fourth. Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph), who started ninth, battled his way up to fifth place ahead of Montella in sixth and Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) in seventh; with just three tenths separating the four riders.

To note:

Mattia Casadei (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), standing in for Niki Tuuli while the Finn recovers from injury, claimed his best WorldSSP result to date with eighth place with the Rimini-born rider showing strong pace on home soil. Swiss rider Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing) also took his best 2022 result with ninth and finished as the highest-placed WorldSSP Challenge rider.

WorldSSP Results Race 1 

1. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +0.006s
3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +0.080s
4. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +16.959s
5. Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) +16.991s
6. Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +17.028s.

Championship standings (after Race 1 – Round 4)

1. Dominique Aegerter (SUI) Yamaha (170 points)
2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) Yamaha  (121 points)
3. Nicolo Bulega (ITA) Ducati (88 points)

Credits : Photos and content courtesy of Dorna WSBK Organization Srl