Di Sora surges to the top by more than a second on Day 1 of the WorldSSP300 Aragon Test
The French rider was the first to lap in the 2’06s bracket on his way to top spot on Day 1 of the test, with cold conditions limiting morning running
The opening day of the Dorna-Supported Test at MotorLand Aragon for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship came to a conclusion with French rider Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) topping the timesheets on his Kawasaki Ninja 400. With a lot of riders opting to stay in their garages through Free Practice 1 and 2 due to colder conditions, Di Sora’s best lap time came in the final Free Practice 3 session on the opening day as he topped the times by 1.189s.
DI SORA PUTS THE #46 ON TOP
Di Sora also went fastest in FP2 but improved his time by the best part of a second in FP3 to go fastest with a 2’07.602s, before improving again at the end of FP3 to a 2’06.834s, although his best time was someway off previous lap records set at the Spanish venue. He was joined in the top three by two other Kawasaki riders as Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) and Sylvain Markarian (Leader Team Flembbo) made it a Kawasaki lockout in the top three, while both Leader Team Flembbo riders featured, although Di Sora’s time was more than a second clear than his nearest rivals.
COMPLETING THE TOP TEN
German rider Dirk Geiger (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) claimed fourth place, more than a second down on Di Sora’s best time as he posted a 2’08.723s, with Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) in fifth place, two tenths down on Geiger. Ieraci’s day was disrupted by a crash at Turn 8 earlier in the day but he was able to get back out on track in FP3 to finish the day strongly.
Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) was the fastest Yamaha rider on track in sixth place, posting a time of 2’08.911s and finishing just 0.10s away from Ieraci’s best time. He was followed closely by fellow Yamaha rider Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) in seventh place, with Gennai’s best time a 2’0.015s. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) was eighth in the combined classification, with his time of 2’09.086s set in FP2; he was the fastest rider of the day to not improve in FP3 despite warmer conditions.
Alex Millan (SMW Racing) claimed ninth spot in the combined classification ahead of his first full season campaign in WorldSSP300, posting a best of 2’09.106s on his Kawasaki machine. Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) was just another 0.053s behind Millan in the standings as he rounded out the top ten.
TO NOTE
Hugo de Cancellis (Prodina Team WorldSSP300) finished just outside the top ten with 11th place, missing out on a spot in the top ten by just 0.145s as he posted a best time of 2’09.304s. Lennon Lehman (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) is the sole KTM representative in 2022 and he claimed 12th spot while Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki), who finished fifth in last year’s Championship, was 16th.
Six riders opted not to take to the track at all on Day 1, with Humberto Maier (AD78 Team Brasil by MS Racing) and teammate Ton Kawakami remaining in their box all day, along with Yamaha MS Racing duo Iker Garcia Abella and Marc Garcia. Rookies Ionnis Peristeras (ProGP Racing) and Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) also did not set a lap time throughout the day.
The top 10 following WorldSSP300 action at Aragon, full results here:
1. Samuel Di Sora (Leader Team Flembbo) 2’06.834s
2. Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) +1.189s
3. Sylvain Markarian (Leader Team Flembbo) +1.618s
4. Dirk Geiger (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) +1.889s
5. Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) +2.067s
6. Gabriele Mastroluca (ProGP Racing) +2.077s
7. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +2.181s
8. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) +2.252s
9. Alex Millan (SMW Racing) +2.272s
10. Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) +2.325s
Keep up with all the action in WorldSSP300 in 2022 using the WorldSBK VideoPass!