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MotorLand Aragon saw the kick off of the new championship racing alongside the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, as the World Supersport 300 riders took to the track for the first time at the Pirelli Aragon Round.

Fans were treated to thrilling battles throughout the field, as the fight for the victory kept fans on the edge of their seats – as Holland’s Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki) was victorious ahead of Spain’s Daniel Valle (Halcourier Racing) and Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays) following an intense fight for the victory. WorldSSP300 has attracted many different nationalities in its first season, so we take a look at how they performed in Spain.  

Mykyta Kalinin (Team MOTOXRACING) – Ukraine. Qualified 2^nd. DNF

Ukranian Kalinin impressed around MotorLand Aragon aboard his Yamaha YZF-R3, despite being unable to finish the race, no one could doubt his pace with the Team MOTOXRACING machine. Completing free practice in the top 12, he had a steady start and was forced to fight it out in Superpole One, which he was able to swiftly make it through. Starting the race from second position following an impressive Superpole Two performance, the 18 year old secured a strong bolt off the line and was up fighting for the win. Unfortunately he was unable to finish the race, as he was a victim to the strong windy conditions and crashed out on the fourth lap.

Kimi Patova (Kallio Racing) – Finland. Qualified 21^st. DNF

One half of global Kallio Racing Team, Kimi Patova is the only Finnish rider in the Championship and is riding under the support of his compatriots. The 15 year old made his racing debut in the Pirelli Aragon Round, and will be hoping to learn from each race weekend and begin to build a back catalogue of experience. Starting on his Road to WorldSBK, WorldSSP300 is the perfect spring board into the premier class but Patova struggled to get inside the top 20 over the weekend. However with a bold performance shown in the opening laps of the race before his crash, it won’t be long until we see the Finn up and fighting for points scoring finishes.

Renzo Ferreira (Kallio Racing) – Brazil. Qualified 29^th. DNF

Brazilian rider Ferreira flies the flag for South America in the WorldSSP300 series, and with the strong backing of Kallio Racing and Yamaha will be an interesting rider to watch in 2017. The same age as his team-mate, 15 year old Ferreira is no stranger to fighting in big packs with appearances in the EJC as well as the KTM CUP USA. Unable to start the race around MotorLand, the youngster had a hard start to his season. But as all teams and riders are understanding the new series, it’s clear he won’t be down at the bottom end of the timing screens for long. 

Ali Adriansyah Rusmiputro (Team Pertamina Circuito de Almeria) – Indonesia. Qualified 25^th. DNF

Lone Indonesian entry in WorldSSP300 for 2017, Rusmiputro had a positive start to the weekend and finished in the top 18 overall in free practice at the helm of the Yamaha YZF-R3. However running into some issues on Saturday saw the former CEV Moto2 rider qualified in 25^th position, leaving him with a lot of work to do on race day. With eight laps remaining in Sudnay’s race, Rusmiputro was forced to retire from the race after entering the pits and as a result ending his debut race. Despite this result, he showed promising pace and will be back out and fighting in Round Two.

To relive any of the thrilling WorldSSP300 action from MotorLand Aragon, or to get involved with the build up to the second round at TT Circuit Assen, subscribe to the WorldSBK VideoPass for access to hundreds of exclusive videos.