Buis lays down the gauntlet as he tops WorldSSP300 FP1 at Aragon
The Championship leader enjoyed a strong start to the penultimate round of the season as he went fastest in FP1
The Tissot Aragon Round got underway with the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship’s Free Practice 1 session as Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) topped the times by three tenths at MotorLand Aragon. The Dutchman, who has enjoyed so much success at the Spanish venue, was fastest after he edged close to the 2’06s bracket during the opening session of the weekend with the #6 looking to strengthen his grip on the title race at Aragon.
With three victories to his name already at MotorLand Aragon, Buis continued his strong form at the Spanish circuit in Free Practice 1 as he set a 2’07.295s, around a second off race lap record pace, to top the times. From the start, the #6 was quick as he found himself consistently at the top of the timesheets, eventually finishing three tenths clear of Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) in second, who overhauled Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) in the final 10 minutes despite the Italian’s strong start. Zanca finished 0.632s down on Buis.
Buis’ teammate, Loris Veneman, continued his strong form with fourth place as he set a 2’07.974s for fourth place. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) took P5 as he lapped 0.744s slower than the fastest lap, while Indonesia’s Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) rounded out the top six. Just under a second separated the top six at the end of FP1.
Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) was seventh as he looks to get his title charge back on track. The Czech rider posted a 2’08.286s to finish inside the top ten, lapping a tenth quicker than Unai Calatayud (Arco Motor University Team) in eighth. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) took ninth with a 2’08.429s with Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing), who pulled off two epic comebacks here last year, completing the top ten.
The top six from WorldSSP300 Free Practice 1, full results here:
1. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) 2’07.295
2. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.297s
3. Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) +0.632s
4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.679s
5. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) +0.744s
6. Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) +0.949s
Watch WorldSSP300 FP2 from 14:15 Local Time (GMT+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!