TITLE SECURED: Kawasaki clinch their fifth WorldSSP300 Manufacturers’ Championship
The Japanese brand celebrated at Aragon as two wins in Spain helped them clinch the title with a round to go
Kawasaki were able to wrap up the Manufacturers’ Championship at MotorLand Aragon with a round to spare in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship. The Japanese brand have had a strong season after losing the title last year to Yamaha and two wins during the Tissot Aragon Round enabled them to fend off strong competition to win the title for the fifth time in seven seasons, while the season could get better for them with two competitors in mathematical contention for the Riders’ Championship.
Kawasaki were beaten by Yamaha last year in the Riders’ and Manufacturers’ Championship but responded strongly with nine wins out of a possible 14 so far in 2023. Four riders have taken victory for them, and they have won at least one race at every round except Imola and Most. Kawasaki have done the double at Assen, Misano, Magny-Cours and Aragon which helped them secure a milestone fifth Manufacturers’ Championship with two races to go.
Petr Svoboda’s (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) Dutch double gave Kawasaki the perfect start to the season before Jeffrey Buis’ (MTM Kawasaki) first of four wins this year came at the next round in Barcelona. At Misano, it was wildcard Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) who doubled up before MTM Kawasaki riders took their next four wins: Buis won two in France and one at Aragon, while rookie Loris Veneman was on the top step in Race 1 at Aragon.
In races where Kawasaki didn’t win, Buis was there to pick up the pieces on three occasions by finishing as the lead rider for the manufacturer, while rookie Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) did with his first podium in Race 2 at Most, and Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) was fourth in Race 1 at the Czech venue to be Kawasaki’s highest-placed rider.
Steve Guttridge, Race Planning Manager at Kawasaki Motors Europe, said about the manufacturer’s success: “There are multiple reasons for Kawasaki and fans to celebrate our fifth manufacturers’ title within the WorldSSP300 Championship. Four Riders’ Championships since the series was inaugurated is something we are very proud of plus over 150 podium places. Perhaps the two things we are proudest of are the facts that WorldSSP300 is a widely recognised feeder route for riders to aspire to a WorldSBK ride and that this series is so closely related to the Ninja machines that fans can buy in any Kawasaki dealership. Now our goal is manufacturers’ title number six!”
There are two Kawasaki riders still in contention for the Riders’ Championship, too. Dutchman Buis could become the first rider to win two titles in WorldSSP300 and he has a 30-point margin over Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) in second. The #6 can win the title in Race 1 at Portimao if he loses five points or less to Perez Gonzalez and Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) is more than 25 points away from the Dutchman.
Watch the final two races of the 2023 WorldSSP300 campaign from Portimao using the WorldSBK VideoPass – only €9.99!
