A thrilling WorldSSP300 race saw numerous accidents and the usual fairing-bashing action across the 13-lap encounter. In the end however, it was a fourth career win for Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300), who held her nerve in a titanic six-rider scrap to move back into title contention.
On lap one of the WorldSSP300 race, it was carnage throughout as crashes were littered all the way around the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” in a chaotic sequence of events. Turn 5 claimed Nick Kalinin (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki), which then brought down Filippo Rovelli (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team), Jacopo Facco (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing), Tom Bramich (Carl Cox-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) and Daniel Blin (Terra e Moto).
Further round the lap at Turn 13, it was Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha), Robert Schotman (Kawasaki MOTOPORT) and Jan-Ole Jahnig (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) who all crashed. Then at Turn 14, Koen Meuffels (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) and Bruno Ieraci (Kawasaki GP Project) who fell.
Meanwhile, from the riders who were still upright, Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300) was the race leader, with the likes of Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team), Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing), Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing) and Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM Junior Team) all in the mix. Emanuele Vocino (GRADARACorse) was in sixth and closing up.
It was a far from ideal race for Scott Deroue on the sole-surviving Kawasaki MOTOPORT machine, as the Dutchman was fighting through into seventh, where he rode a lonesome race, not being part of any large groups.
It was a frantic final few laps as the race lead swapped and changed, eventually seeing Ana Carrasco fight her way back to the lead and pull out an advantage throughout the last lap. Gonzalez and Hendra Pratama got ahead of Steeman into Turn 8 as they began to chase down the reigning WorldSSP300 Champion. However, Hendra Pratama got a strong slipstream down the back straight and through Turn 12, he took second place. Vocino tried to get ahead of Steeman at Turn 14 but the Dutch rider fought back.
Into the final corner, Carrasco had enough in hand to take the win, but Gonzalez bashed his way through ahead of Hendra Pratama, forcing him off the circuit and therefore costing the Indonesian a podium, as Andy Verdoïa came through for third. Steeman was fifth behind Hendra Pratama, whilst Vocino was a hearty sixth. Scott Deroue could only manage seventh, ahead of 2018 WorldSSP300 Misano winner Manuel Bastianelli (Prodina IRCOS Kawasaki), Kevin Sabatucci (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) and Ferran Hernandez Moyano (BCD Yamaha MS Racing).
Carrasco now moves into joint-second in the championship with Scott Deroue, whilst Manuel Gonzalez continues as the championship leader.
P1 – Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300)
“I felt really strong all the weekend and I think we did a perfect job from free practices to qualifying yesterday. I had a good pace and I wanted the victory here which I think is a good circuit for me. After the double podium in Jerez, I arrived here extremely motivated so it is a really good thing for me that I achieved my first victory of the season and that we moved up in the championship standings. Thanks to my team, Kawasaki and everyone who is helping me. We are improving and I hope we will continue this way”.
#RiminiWorldSBK WorldSSP300 at Misano World Circuit Race
1. Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300)
2. Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) +0.822
3. Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing) +0.965
WorldSSP300 Championship Standings after Round 5
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) Kawasaki (108 points)
2. Ana Carrasco (ESP) Kawasaki (65 points)
2. Scott Deroue (NED) Kawasaki (65 points)
Credits : Photos and content courtesy of WorldSBK.com
