PREVIEW: Manzi arrives to his final WorldSSP round as World Champion, but there are still big things to be decided in Jerez
Manzi and Yamaha celebrated their respective titles at Estoril, but a decisive round awaits with various battles in contention
The 2025 FIM Supersport World Championship arrives to its final weekend at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, Andalucia for the Pirelli Spanish Round. It’s been a season full of emotions and great battles in which Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) has been crowned one round early after clinching the title ahead of Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) who has been his biggest rival this season. This doesn’t mean that the entire Championship is spoken for; however, among other accolades, third place in the Riders’ Championship still hangs in the balance.
MANZI, CHAMPION: The Italian’s last round in WorldSSP before making his jump to WorldSBK
After back-to-back seasons finishing runner-up, The Italian has finally broken through and will march into WorldSBK as a World Champion. For his part, Oncu did everything he could to delay Manzi’s Riders’ Championship celebrations, but he still has a title to fight for. His Yamaha BU CRU Evan Bros Team can win the Teams’ Championship if their riders outscore Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing by six points in Race 1. In any case, a strong performance by both teams helped Yamaha close out the Manufacturers’ Championship in the first season of competition for the Yamaha R9.
THE FIGHT FOR P3: Six points between Booth-Amos and Masia
The other fight which is still wide open is the battle for third place in the Riders’ Championship standings between Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) and Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura). The English rider holds a six-point advantage and could wrap up the fight in Race 1, but it’s still too close to call as the rider from Valencia will fight until the very end of his rookie season. Last year, Booth-Amos finished sixth in Race 1, his best result of the weekend. While Masia will be making his debut here on WorldSSP machinery, he earned a pair of podiums here during his time competing in Moto3.
FIVE RIDERS WITHIN 26 POINTS: Thrilling battle for the Top 5
The fight between Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) for fifth place is also heating up, as both riders are tied on 185 points. However, Debise carries more momentum thanks to his two wins in the last four races, while Mahias hasn’t been on the podium since the UK Round. Behind them, Bo Bendsneyder is only seven points behind the pair, but he won’t be racing this round following MV Agusta Reparto Corse and the Dutch rider parting ways. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) is a further nine points back; he’s had four consecutive Top 4 finishes and recently secured his second podium of the season. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) has also delivered strong performances lately, including his first podium in the category, and mathematically he still has a chance to fight for fifth place—but being 26 points behind the French riders makes it a tall order.
PEROLARI, CHAMPION: The Frenchman clinches the WorldSSP Challenge with a round to spare
The WorldSSP Challenge was also decided in Estoril, in favour of Corentin Perolari (Honda Racing World Supersport). The Frenchman has consistently fought in the Top 10 this season, and that consistency has paid off. His closest rivals in 2025 were the QJMOTOR Factory Racing duo, Raffaele De Rosa and Niki Tuuli. Since the introduction of the new QJ MOTOR SRK 800 RS in early September, both riders have made clear progress. De Rosa qualified fourth in the Estoril Superpole and scored 13 points over the weekend, while Tuuli earned points both in Magny-Cours and Aragon. The Finn, who has two podiums at Jerez first in 2016 and in 2021, will retire after Race 2.
GRID CHANGES: Returns and wildcards
Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) hopes to return to competition this weekend, but he’ll need to be declared ‘fit’ on Thursday at the circuit. Josh Whatley will continue to fill in for Bo Bendsneyder at MV Agusta Reparto Corse, Xavi Artigas will keep racing with Motozoo ME AIR Racing following Luke Power’s absence, and Matteo Ferrari will replace Marcel Schrotter, who announced his departure from the team after Estoril. As for wildcards, Javier Del Olmo will be competing with a Kawasaki ZX-6R for the Kawasaki JDO Team, and German rider Marvin Siebdrath will race with a Honda CBR600RR for MCA Racing.
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