WorldSSP300. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) storms WorldSSP300 with dominant Race 1, home-hero Konig on the podium.

The 2021 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship inaugurated WorldSBK paddock racing action at the Autodrom Most and there was drama right from the start. Second-placed rider in the Championship Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) missed the start to the race after a technical issue on the grid. Come the end of the 14-lap encounter, it was Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) who mastered Most by putting a superb ride to break away at the front of the field and dominate the race.

With five laps to go, the battle for second went from second to 12^th, as Hugo De Cancellis (Prodina Team WorldSSP300), Koen Mueffels (MTM Kawasaki), Mirko Gennai (Team BRcorse), Jeffrey Buis, Ruben Bijman (Machado CAME SBK), Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) and Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing) joined the duel. Two laps later and Adrian Huertas was more-or-less with them, as he came to within half a second of the rear of the group, making for a thrilling spectacle as the Championship battle now crept through the field. Tom Booth-Amos was right with his title rival too, both of them setting the fastest lap of the race on Lap 12.

Into the final lap and Huertas was now into seventh with Booth-Amos a place behind, whilst Di Sora was under serious pressure from Konig. With the home crowd going crazy, Konig took second going into the final two corners, whilst it was a first podium and thus a first race win for Victor Steeman, who dominated the first ever WorldSSP300 race at Most. Konig took second on the road but was dropped to third for exceeding track limits on the last lap after a post-race penalty, nonetheless the first podium for the Czech Republic in WorldSSP300. Whilst Samuel Di Sora crossed the line in third, he too exceeded track limits on the final lap and was dropped one place, meaning he was fourth behind whilst Alejandro Carrion picked up the pieces of the two ahead of him to finish in second.

Bahattin Sofuoglu completed the top five ahead of a stunning Huertas who came back in fine form, ahead of Jeffrey Buis who stayed upright for seventh, ahead of Booth-Amos, De Cancellis, Gennai, Okaya, Perez Gonzalez, Bijman, Meuffels and Christian Stange. 2018 World Champion Ana Carrasco finished in 24^th, as she struggled in the Czech Republic. Huertas in sixth and Booth-Amos in eighth means the Spaniard extends his Championship lead by two points over the Brit, now standing at 20.

P1 Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team)
“I’m very happy because it’s my first podium. We worked very hard for this; we did amazing hours with the team. The bike was not perfect, and I think we made a very good step. The track is also nice so that’s good for us. We celebrate a bit and after we check the data to make another improvement for tomorrow and hopefully be on the top step again.”

P2 Alejandro Carrion (Kawasaki GP Project)
“It’s incredible to be here. The objective of the race was to try and stay in the front group with the first three or four riders then push in the last laps. I felt very comfortable, the bike was very, very nice today. The last lap was very crazy and I’m very happy to be here. I want to dedicate this race to my grandfather because he died last week, so this podium is for him.”
 
P3 Oliver König (Movisio by MIE)
“It’s beautiful to claim my first podium at home! I’m so happy because the race was so hard. We were in a big group with a lot of fighting but in the end,  we are third, so it’s unbelievable to do this at home.”

WorldSSP300 Autodrom Most – Race 1

1. Victor Steeman (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team)
2. Alejandro Carrion (Kawasaki GP Project) +5.340s
3. Oliver König (Movisio by MIE) +5.345s 
4. Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) +5.350s
5. Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Yamaha Motoxracing) +5.359s
6. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +5.712s.

Championship Standings (after Race 1, Round 6)

1. Adrian Huertas (ESP) Yamaha (118 points)
2. Tom Booth-Amos (GBR) Kawasaki (98 points)
3. Samuel Di Sora (FRA) Kawasaki (77 points)

Credits : Photos and content courtesy of Dorna WSBK Organization Srl