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Steeman remains on top after red-flagged FP2 at the Autodrom Most

Friday, 29 July 2022 13:05 GMT

    • Dutch rider Victor Steeman topped both FP1 and FP2 as he set the pace in the Czech Republic as he showed lap record pace

    Friday at the Autodrom Most belonged to Dutch rider Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) after topping both Free Practice 1 and 2 sessions in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship for the Prosecco DOC Czech Round. In both sessions, the Dutchman was under the existing lap record for both Superpole and race laps as he topped the times by more than two tenths ahead of his nearest rivals.

    SUBLIME STEEMAN: the Dutchman tops both Free Practice sessions

    At the venue he claimed victory at in 2021, Steeman posted a 1’46.141s in FP2 to top the combined classification for the day, after he also went fastest in FP1, lapping faster than the race lap record and the Tissot Superpole lap record set in 2021. Steeman’s time was 0.240s faster than home hero Petr Svoboda (Accolade Smrz Racing) in second place with Svoboda, racing as a wildcard this weekend, showing excellent pace on home soil. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) secured third spot at the Autodrom Most on Friday after posting a 1’46.409s in FP2; showing his and KTM’s potential, with KTM claiming victory with Steeman at Most in 2021.

    CHASING A PODIUM: close to the top three

    Ruben Bijman (MTM Kawasaki) finished second in FP1 and backed that up with fourth in FP2, just under four tenths back from teammate Steeman at the top of the field, with a late lap from the Dutchman bumping down Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) into fifth place after a strong showing in FP2 from the Italian rider. Gennai was just over a tenth quicker than compatriot Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) in sixth place after posting a 1’46.691s.

    CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS INSEPARABLE: Diaz and Garcia inside the top ten

    Currently running first and second in the Championship, Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) claimed seventh spot in the combined classification after improving his lap time in FP2, posting a 1’46.767s to lead title rival Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing) by just 0.008s. A third Spanish rider, Alex Millan (SMW Racing), claimed ninth spot and he was just around 0.020s slower than Garcia while Alessandro Zanca (Kawasaki GP Project) rounded out the top ten.

    HOUSEKEEPING: to note from Friday’s running

    Dirk Geiger (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) was 11th in the combined classification despite a crash at Turn 1 in Free Practice 2 with around 17 minutes of the session to go but the German was able to rejoin. Jose Luis Perez Gonzales (Accolade Smrz Racing) had a crash at Turn 7 as he returns from injury and he finished in 20th in the combined classification, while the session was red flagged with just under 10 minutes to go following a crash for Inigo Iglesias (SMW Racing) at Turn 13, with the Spaniard taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash.

    The top six following WorldSSP300 Friday action, full results here:

    1. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) 1’46.141s

    2. Petr Svoboda (Accolade Smrz Racing) +0.240s

    3. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +0.268s

    4. Ruben Bijman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.385s

    5. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.425s

    6. Kevin Sabatucci (Kawasaki GP Project) +0.550s

    Don’t miss the crucial WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole session on Saturday at 09:45 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!