Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) took home his first win of 2025, breaking a streak of absence from the top of the FIM Supersport300 World Championship podium of more than two years and two months. Thanks to his Race 1 P4 and Race 2 victory, he has jumped into P6 ahead of Brazilian rider Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing). He has diminished his gap to Championship leader Benat Fernandez (Team #109 Retro Traffic Kove) from 64 points to 48 points.

Apart from a single P5 earned at Most, Vannucci’s season had appeared to be shaping up to be similar to his disappointing 2024 season, as he had only earned three top-eight finishes. Before Magny-Cours, he struggled in what was his worst round of the season, finishing P16 and P17 at Misano. Suddenly, however, with their arrival at Magny-Cours for the French Round, Vannucci and his Yamaha R3 looked completely renewed. He shot up the order after missing the points at Misano to record back-to-back P2s in France. Then, in the Tissot Aragon Round-opening Tissot Superpole session, he kept the ball rolling to sit pole for the first time in two seasons, following that up with a P4 in Race 1, and in Race 2, his first WorldSSP300 win since Imola 2023.

SPEED OVER EVERYTHING: “My only strategy was to try to push hard every lap. I still can’t believe that I made this race win a reality”

Jumping off the line from P3, Vannucci was one of several riders duelling at the front, staking his claim on P1 as they finished the first lap. From there, Vannucci was fortunate to avoid a series of crashes which decimated the group of challengers for the race win behind him. Thompson and Buis were the first to fall, sprawling into the gravel on Turn 5 of Lap 2. David Salvador, Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) and Roberto Fernandez (Kawasaki Junior Team by MTM) all crashed out by the race’s halfway point.

On his Race 2, Vannucci stated his surprise at the outcome of the chaotic final contest in Alcañiz: “Before the race, I kept my mind clear; my only strategy was to try to push hard every lap. I still can’t believe that I made this race win a reality; I’m very happy. A huge thanks to my team for making this possible and working well all weekend. They, and this result, have made me super happy”

POLE, PODIUM AND A RACE WIN: “Overall, a fantastic weekend! With this victory, fantastic”

With four races left in the 2025 season, Vannucci has a chance to make a late play for the top Championship positions. Currently 48 points behind Fernandez in P1, a play for the title looks unlikely. Still, with just 12 points separating him in P6 from Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Italka Racing), sitting two places in front of him in P4, considering Garcia’s recent return from injury, a play for P4 could be in the cards for the Italian. If he has his eyes on the Riders’ Championship bronze medal, he currently would just need a further nine points to displace Thompson. The next two rounds hold a world of possibilities for Vannucci, and if he can maintain his form from the last two rounds, he’ll put himself in a very competitive position.

Reflecting on his weekend full of positive steps forward, Vannucci said: “Overall, a fantastic weekend! With this victory, fantastic. I think a big part of our success since the last round is from an improvement we made to our suspension; we tried lots of changes, even new changes right before Race 2; it looks like they worked!”

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