The FIM Supersport World Championship’s Motul Dutch Round came to a thrilling conclusion at the TT Circuit Assen with Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) claimed Race 2 victory to double up on wins for the weekend. The Swiss rider battled back after losing ground at the start of the 18-lap race to claim honours and extend his lead at the top of the Championship.

DUTCH DELIGHT: two wins for Ten Kate Racing Yamaha

In front of Team Principal Ronald Ten Kate, Aegerter repeated his feat from the 2021 Dutch Round as he made it two victories from two races at the iconic Dutch venue. Aegerter had lost time at the start of the race and found himself down in fourth place, but soon found himself fighting back. The race-winning overtake came on Lap 9 of 18 with the Swiss rider overtaking title rival Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) at the final chicane before going on to open up a gap of 2.6s at the end of the race. Victory for Aegerter means Swiss riders have now won 20 WorldSSP races while Aegerter has now claimed 20 podiums. Baldassarri claimed second place as he bounced back from a Race 1 crash to finish on the podium after making his way up the grid, finishing ahead of Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Turkish star Oncu moved into the lead on the opening lap of the race and stayed there until Lap 7, when Baldassarri went through at Turn 8 before Aegerter followed him through at the chicane. Oncu’s third place means he now has five WorldSSP podiums while he also claimed Turkey’s 90^th podium in WorldSSP. It was a four-way fight for victory at the front of the field at points during the race, with Italian rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in fourth place.

A MEGA BATTLE FOR FIFTH: five riders within two seconds at the line

Estonian rider Hannes Soomer (Dynavolt Triumph) finished in fifth place, just ahead of teammate Stefano Manzi with the pair separated by just a tenth of a second at the end of the 18-lap race. It was a very close battle for fifth place with numerous riders involved, as Finnish rider Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in seventh place. Rookie Yari Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) crossed the line in eighth place but was demoted one place to ninth for a last lap track limits infringement, around one second back from Tuuli, after an incredible battle with British rider Kyle Smith (VFT Racing). With Montella’s penalty, Smith was classified in eighth with Montella ninth.

AN EARLY-SEASON BEST: rookies take strong results

Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was the lead WorldSSP Challenge rider as he took a tenth place finish, fending off the challenge from Australian rookie Oli Bayliss (BARNI Spark Racing Team) with just over half-a-second separating the pair at the end of the race.  Swiss rider Marcel Brenner (VFT Racing) was 12^th after he responded from a Race 1 crash, with Leonardo Taccini (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in 13^th place.

Taccini fended off a late challenge from Unai Orradre (MS Racing Yamaha WorldSSP) to claim 13^th place with Orradre in 14^th. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura WorldSSP) rounded out the points-paying positions with 15^th place, but the Italian had been running in the top ten throughout Race 2.

HOUSEKEEPING: notes from WorldSSP Race 2

After late heartbreak in Race 1 yesterday, Glenn van Straalen’s (EAB Racing Team) race came to an end at Turn 1 Race 2 after a crash also involving Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha); both riders retiring from the race. Australian wildcard Tom Edwards (Yart – Yamaha WorldSSP) retired from the race in the first half of the 18-lap encounter. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) had been having a strong race inside the top seven but dropped out of the race on the final lap of the race, with the 2021 WorldSSP300 Champion not classified.

Hungarian rider Peter Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) did not take part in Race 2 after being declared unfit with a left shoulder functional impairment. Tom Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing WorldSSP) was also declared unfit after a Race 1 crash with a left fibula fracture, while Andy Verdoia (GMT94 Yamaha) is also unfit with arm pump syndrome in his right arm.

The top six following the WorldSSP Race 2, full results here:

1 Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)

2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +2.606s

3. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) +4.618s

4. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +4.965s

5. Hannes Soomer (Dynavolt Triumph) +17.982s

6. Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) +0.126s

Championship standings

1. Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 95 points

2. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) 65

3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 56

4. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) 46

5. Niki Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 40

6. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 32

15. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 15 – top WorldSSP Challenge rider

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