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The 2021 FIM Supersport World Championship grid will see Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) return to the Championship as he joins Fabio Evangelista’s Evan Bros. outfit, becoming teammate to Steven Odendaal for the remainder of the year. Sebestyen made his test debut with the team at the Most Circuit in the Czech Republic over the weekend – a track the Championship heads to in August – and he thoroughly enjoyed his time at the venue, commending the fast and flowing nature, although he did suffer a small crash but without drama. Sebestyen also spoke about what he expects to achieve with the reigning double WorldSSP Champions and believes that with time, the top three is a realistic goal.

Reviewing his return to Most, 27-year-old Sebestyen praised the layout, saying: “I’ve been to Most a long time ago, with a 125cc GP bike, but I remember the track very well and some weeks ago, I could go there with my training bike, and it was good preparation before testing with the team. The track is very special, with lots of really fast corners whilst also being very technical. The first chicane is bit of a stop-and-go style, so the rhythm of this section is a bit different to the other sectors, but it makes for a good overtaking opportunity. To do 16 or 17 laps without making a mistake is going to be difficult, as you have to be quite precise, but I like these kinds of tracks, that are fast and that their style is a little bit older than the new tracks.”

One sector particularly stood out as his favourite, with the final few corners giving him a great feeling: “I like the end of the track, as there’s a combination that is right-left-right which is very flowing at Turn 15 to Turn 17, but then there are two left-handers that are completely full gas. This section is so fast, and the rhythm of the section is so good, with the rear sliding, which is such a nice feeling. I think the racing at the circuit will be very close, although the overtaking will be difficult because the track is so flowing. It will be interesting to see how the riders and teams adapt but I am sure it will give very close racing.”

Moving on to the team, Sebestyen continued his positive vibes and believes he could feature high up the order: “Of course, the team is the most professional I have ever worked with, but they are also like a family. It was really easy to join this team, especially in the season; they are working with Steven Odendaal since the start of the year, and for me they have been great. For me, I need to focus on myself, as now I have a very good bike and I can be fast right from the first lap.

“According to the test at Most, I think that the bike and I are fast and there’s potential to be at the top. I think we’ve found the basic set-up for the weekends which is amazing. I have to be calm though, as the last race for me was at Estoril in 2020, so I need to get back in the rhythm and get my brain in race mode. It will be a bit difficult but for Assen and Most, I’ll try to remain calm and try to do everything step-by-step.”

Looking ahead to his racing debut with the team at Assen, he said: “I feel in good form and I’m ready for a good race at Assen, but I need to remain calm; I don’t need to prove anything to anybody as the team saw I could be quite fast in the test, as well as the bike. My crew chief and everyone in the team on my side are in a new situation. We don’t have any specific aims for Assen, we just want to enjoy the weekend, adapt and if we can also have a good race and fight for good positions, then that’d be great. I go there to have fun and to smile on the bike but of course in the end, I want to be inside the top three and to get some podiums for the team in the future.”

Being the only Hungarian rider in the paddock, Sebestyen also wants to do his country proud in World Supersport: “For me to be the only Hungarian rider on the grid is a big motivation, to try and do all of the country proud. Fans in the country are so happy and they really hope that I can achieve some good results for our country. Also, the Hungarian Motorsport Development Agency is one of my partners, and they’ve helped a lot to join the team. The plan is to race in Hungary in 2023 or 2024, for the country to join the WorldSBK calendar, so it will be a really big thing to ride in Hungary in front of the Hungarian fans. So, it will be good to build it up and achieve some good results before coming to Hungary.”

Also at the test was Steven Odendaal, with the South African getting used to the Most Circuit with his new teammate over the two days. Despite difficult weather on the second day, Odendaal took the positives, saying: I’m satisfied with these two days of testing, even though the traffic and bad weather didn't help us. On Saturday, it was really nice to get back on the bike after a little holiday, and on Sunday, in the short runs, we worked with a view to the race, getting some useful information. Now we just have to start preparing for the Assen race, to be ready to express our full potential.”

Follow Sebestyen’s progress and watch every session in 2021 LIVE with the WorldSBK VideoPass!