The penultimate FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race in the category’s history was a spectacle to behold with plenty of drama as the field took to the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, Andalucia, in their final Pirelli Spanish Round. After a red flag stoppage, Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) again led the field across the line for his third win in four races. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) followed him across the line as he took home critical Riders’ Championship points and was tailed by Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) in P3. A better ending to the WorldSSP300 Championship couldn’t be written as the stage is now set for a winner-takes-all three-way Race 2 on Sunday

THOMPSON STRUGGLES EARLY ON: Second place title rider runs wide and falls to the back of the order.

Vannucci finished the first lap defending his pole position; however, the group dragged him back into the melee by Turn 2. Salvador, Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove), and Pepe Osuna (ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) all tussled at the top as the weight of this penultimate race was not lost on them. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) was just tenths behind the lead pack when he ran wide onto the gravel. The incident sent him back, seemingly out of contention for the win, and with that, effectively out of contention for the Championship. However, more twists were on the way.

Just a lap later, Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing), Marc Vich (Yamaha Motoxracing Italia WorldSSP300) and Daniel Ocete (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) crashed and with the other riders unable to avoid him, they were sent sprawling onto the tarmac, prompting the red flag to be waved. Garcia and Vich were taken to the medical centre following the incident and await further diagnosis. Vich was deemed fit, Garcia will be reassessed before Sunday’s Warm Up, and Ocete was deemed unfit with a concussion and left collarbone and was taken to Jerez Hospital. The restart saw riders return to the grid shortly after over a five-lap distance, with Vannucci leading Fernandez and Salvador while Thompson started from P26 on the updated front row.

FIVE LAPS TO GO: Even more drama was in store after the race’s restart

The #7 shot off the line for the holeshot while Salvador followed in hot pursuit. The title rivals battled within the top six before Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) and Fernandez both ran wide into Turn 1 onto the gravel to finish P15 and P16 respectively. A penalty was applied to Veneman to send him back to a P21 start for Race 2 and promoting Fernandez to a single-point-scoring P15. Salvador and Vannucci locked horns at the front for the race win, and after riding in the #38’s slipstream in the run to the line, Vannucci came out on top for the race win. Salvador was the day’s big winner as he saw both his Championship rivals plummet down the order to #7 in P15 and #50 in P8. The WorldSSP300 Championship now finds itself with three riders within three points, setting up a firecracker of a Race 2 on Sunday.

BACK-TO-BACK AT HOME: Mogeda opens Jerez with his second podium in a row.

Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) came out hot after the restart, even leading the race with four laps to go. Still, he ended up snagging his second podium in a row after his Race 2 bronze in Estoril.  Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) helped his teammate, Salvador, with his points picture by finishing in P4. Pepe Osuna landed P5, another strong result for the Spaniard at home, his best result of the season. Buis had to start from the back of the grid at the race’s original start; however, by the restart, he had climbed up to P6. He was taking no prisoners as he rode into the final five laps, going on to finish in a serviceable P6 after his chaotic day.

THOMPSON SAVED ON SATURDAY: After falling out of the points before the red flag, he recovered to P8

Juan Risueno (MS Racing) beat out title contender Thompson for P7 by a mere 0.041s. Thompson, who finished P8, may just be the luckiest man in Spain as Fernandez and his teammate Loris Veneman's Turn 1 contact prevented the #7 from further instantiating himself atop the title standings. Jakob Rosenthaler (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) and Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) rounded out the final places of the top 10, the P9 result for the Austrian coming as his second-best finish of the season.

The top six from the WorldSSP300 Race 1: Full results here!

1 Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300)

2. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) +0.019s

3. Daniel Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) +0.248s

4. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) +0.438s

5. Pepe Osuna (ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) +0.513

6. Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing)

Fastest Lap: Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) 1’51.805

Tune in tomorrow for a dramatic final WorldSSP300 Race 2 at 12:45 (Local Time UTC +2) Watch live with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now just €9.99!