Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) struck first at Cremona Circuit and took the first FIM Sportbike World Championship points of their final four races. Following him up onto the rostrum, Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph) took P2 for the second time this season, and David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) finished Saturday at the EICMA Italian Round with a bronze medal to prevent a large slip in his Riders’ Championship lead.
SALVADOR SALVAGES P3
Jumping up early to P1, Xavi Artigas took P1 as polesitter Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) slipped back to P4 after a big moment in the first sector. Fighting his way forward from a P7 start, Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) pushed to the front early to lead briefly on Lap 2. The Belgian and the Australian slid farther back to P5 and P6 respectively with five laps to go as Harrison Dessoy and Championship leader David Salvador jumped up into the top four. As the race wound down into the final laps, Fleerackers fell farther back, while Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) and Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) joined the leading group.
Rolling into the final lap, Artigas led the pack while five riders battled behind him, weaving in and out of the rostrum positions. Dessoy and Seabright looked set to make it a Triumph podium double, but Salvador managed to get out in front of the #73 in the final metres to the line. The #55 will be pleased to return to the podium after Aragon, bagging his second podium of the season. Salvador stated after the race that he wasn’t happy with his bike’s performance on the straight, but P3 is no small result for the Spaniard. As a result, the #34 cut his Championship deficit to 21 points, meaning that the #38 will not be able to clinch the title this weekend as he would need a 50-point advantage over the #34.
SEABRIGHT MISSES PODIUM BY LESS THAN A TENTH
Seabright nearly pulled off a coup for P3 after riding the first half of the race in the latter half of the top four. Thompson started from pole and, while he struggled early, missed snagging a place in the top three by a mere 0.161s. Fuertes recovered well from his penalised P13 grid start to finish in P6, one position ahead of his original P7 Superpole finishing position before his Slow Riding penalty applied by FIM WorldSBK Stewards.
FLEERACKERS LEADS LAPS AT CREMONA
Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) finished in his original grid spot of P7; his stint at the front on Lap 2 was a good sign, but he failed to make it stick. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) made a brave move up the inside of the Championship leader on Lap 1; however, that proved to be the highlight of his Saturday as he slid down to the grid to finish P8. Pepe Osuna's (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) top-ten finishing streak extended after Race 1 to four consecutive races as the Spaniard took P9. American rider Julian Correa (Pons Motosport Italika Racing) tied his season-high WorldSPB result, matching his Aragon result of P10.
Top six from WorldSPB Race 1: Full results here!
- Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki)
- Harrison Dessoy (PHR Performance Triumph) +0.108s
- David Salvador (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) +0.272s
- Fenton Seabright (PHR Performance Triumph) +0.360s
- Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) +0.433s
- Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) +0.502s
Race 2 at Cremona remains! Tune in at 13:00 (Local Time UTC +2) with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 70% off!