MANZI AND TEN KATE RACING DOMINATE WITH DOUBLE VICTORY IN RED HOT IMOLA

Stefano Manzi has also won the second World Supersport race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola on Sunday afternoon. The Italian took over the lead on lap seven and did not relinquish it. He eventually crossed the line first by a margin of over seven seconds, giving Ten Kate Racing a double victory. Jorge Navarro achieved his best result of the season by finishing sixth.

Thanks to a good start and a strong opening lap, Manzi was riding in second place in the early stages of the race. Once the Italian got into his rhythm he managed to reduce his gap to the leader and then take over the lead on lap seven. Manzi was able to ride a very strong pace and managed to build up a big lead, eventually crossing the finish line as a convincing winner. It is his third win for Ten Kate Racing and his first double victory in the World Supersport class. With 242 points Manzi is second in the championship with 41 points behind compatriot Nicolò Bulega.

After a good warm-up session, it was clear that Navarro’s pace was better on Sunday. After a tricky opening phase, in which he was riding in eighth position, the Spaniard managed to ride towards the group in front of him. Thanks to some clever overtaking, the 27-year-old Navarro eventually crossed the finish line in sixth place, his best result so far in the World Supersport class. In the championship he is in tenth place with 87 points, combining that with the points of Manzi results in Ten Kate Racing leading the team championship. 

Stefano Manzi – P1:

“This has been an amazing weekend. It was important to win again today and it was good to do it with a big gap. I’m very happy to have won twice this weekend in front of the Italian  fans. In the first couple of laps I saw I missed a bit of power with a full fuel tank but as the race progressed it felt a lot better. I was able to push more and ride on the limit, it showed that we were very fast today. It has been a fantastic weekend for us and hopefully we can continue to perform like this, then we’ll see what’s possible for the championship.”

Jorge Navarro – P6:

“Today was a good day. In the warm-up I was able to ride a good pace and I had a good feeling with the bike. For the race we tried something that improved the acceleration and it seemed to work. It’s important that we finished this race in a good position and I enjoyed being in the fight. We gathered useful information to improve for the next races, I want to thank the team for the work they have done this weekend. It has not been easy but we go home with a good feeling.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing Team Manager: 

“ It was an extremely hot weekend in Imola with also extremely good performances. Stefano’s race was a textbook example, as soon as he got into the lead he was able to open up a gap. It was a perfect race and we can be very proud of that. The team has been working hard since Friday and step by step we are learning more about how best to get Stefano going.

Jorge got his best result of the year and we are also extremely proud of that. He has to come a long way and they are also working very hard on his side of the box, working until late every night to analyse the data and see how Jorge can get the best out of himself. It seems we have found something with him and he rode a rock-solid race. That still needs to be confirmed in Most, of course, but the feeling is that we are on the right track with him.

We are looking forward to the next race weekend in Most where we hope to come out just as strong again.”