With Balaton Park’s Motul Hungarian Round in the rear-view mirror, the FIM Supersport World Championship has reached the quarter-way point of their season, and with the close of the round, WorldSSP has a new Riders’ Championship leader. Albert Arenas (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) has gotten up to speed in no time. He leads the field in podiums in his rookie season, and that rostrum consistency has enabled him to overtake Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in the World Supersport title standings.

SECOND PLACE IN THE FIRST RACE: P2 in Race 1 made it five podiums in seven WorldSSP starts

Arenas started hot on Friday, crushing Bo Bendsneyder's 2025 pole-earning time of 1’42.799s with an emphatic Tissot Superpole session-topping 1’42.050s time. Exacerbating his pole position success, the #5, from whom he was one point behind in the world title race, crashed out before he was able to set a strong lap, leaving him to start Race 1 from P24. Leading the opening lap, the deal got even sweeter for the #75 when, on Turn 2 of the opening lap, Masia crashed out of the race. From there, Arenas struggled to keep up with a streaking Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Yamaha) and Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), the pair maintaining a gap of around six tenths ahead of the #75 until the #37 crashed out of the race from P1 on Lap 13. From there, the Spaniard pushed hard, cutting the gap to P1 to just a tenth by Lap 15, but nothing could stop a thundering Valentin Debise (EASTROC ZXMOTO Factory Evan Bros Racing) as both the #75 and #53 slipped by Oncu on Turn 12-13 when the Turk went wide, and Debise won the race with a better run to the line. His P2 was enough to claim a 19-point Championship lead to start the weekend, and it would only get better from there for Arenas.

CONFIDENCE ON THE FRONT: “On Sunday, I was more comfortable with my front feeling, and it meant I didn’t have to be so careful”

At lights out on their final race of the round, Arenas flew forward for the holeshot, but Oncu saw daylight on Turn 5 and shuffled the Spaniard to P2. He hovered a quarter of a second behind the Turk as Debise dropped out of the running due to a tech issue. Taking his time to measure the #61 and size up where he could make a move past him. Arenas smelled blood in the water in the second sector, and with three laps to go, he struck on Turn 9 to seize the race lead from Oncu, holding him off to close the affair with a gap of four tenths. The win comes as his first since Phillip Island, and breaks his three-race streak of P2 finishes.

On his Race 2 win, Arenas said: “This win means a lot, I’m happy with the performance, especially after Race 1. I knew we could make a little step. I’m happy that we could do that. I enjoyed the end of the race quite a lot. It was tough because they were going fast, and I still see some differences in riding style, setups, and gearing; there are some things to understand to make a step. I’m super happy for the team and everyone who has been working hard for this. The bike's balance was important in this race at the entry to the corners; it made the difference between yesterday and today on this tight circuit. On Sunday, I was more comfortable with my front feeling, which meant I didn't have to be so careful. On this track, it’s quite difficult as we go very fast, but it’s very tight, so it’s hard to overtake. I stayed in there and decided to push with three laps to go, and I was able to bring it home.”

PUTTING THE FEELING FIRST: “There’s still a long way to go…we’re really trying to feel comfortable on the bike, because then we can deliver”

Arenas waltzes out of Hungary with a 33-point Riders’ Championship lead in tow, tremendous progress from the 29-year-old in just his first season. He spent 11 years in the MotoGP paddock, six years including a 2020 World Championship in Moto3, and more recently, five seasons in Moto2. His blazing start to his new WorldSSP career comes as a surprise to the Girona native, and he’s committed to keep working this season as he focuses on his feeling with the platform.

On his adaptation to the paddock, Arenas said: “I wasn’t thinking about where I would be in the Championship standings before the season, I was more focused on the challenge I had in front of me, the change of paddocks, and to compete in this competitive pack of riders and different bikes. Two races in a weekend and different tracks than the ones I know. There’s still a long way to go, but I’m super happy with the performance. We’re really trying to feel comfortable on the bike so we can deliver. I’m super happy for the team and super surprised with how we’re working.”

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