MANZI FINISHES ON THE PODIUM IN DIFFICULT WEEKEND AT MOTORLAND ARAGÓN, NAVARRO ENDS UP IN SIXTH

Stefano Manzi finished second in the second World Supersport race at Motorland Aragón on Sunday afternoon. The Italian started well and soon took second place which he did not give away until the end. Jorge Navarro matched his best result in the WorldSSP category by finishing sixth.

After disappointing results in Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, Ten Kate Racing was keen to come back stronger in Race 2. Stefano Manzi got away better and was riding in third place at the end of the opening lap. On the second lap, he managed to take over second place through a nice overtaking move after which it became a relatively lonely race for the Italian. In the end, he crossed the line in second place and had managed to get the most out of the Yamaha YZF-R6. With a total of 323 points he is still second in the championship, the gap to the leader is now 85 points.

Jorge Navarro also got away better and was in the group fighting for third place. The Spaniard had to work hard for it and lost out due to a duel. In the end, he finished sixth in the race that was flagged early on the last lap due to a heavy crash. With 120 points, Navarro is ninth in the championship.

Stefano Manzi – P2: 

“It was a good race today. I started well and got into second position. I rode there all race but in the end some riders behind me were getting closer so I had to push. It is a good result for us at a track where we were struggling a bit more than expected. It was important to finish on the podium this weekend because we have done that at every round so far this year. Next week we will go to Portimão which will be very challenging again, but I’m looking forward to
ride there again as it’s a great track.”

Jorge Navarro – P6: 

“Today was a more positive day. In the warm-up we managed to improve my feeling with the bike and we made some changes which made me a bit more comfortable. I started well and was in the podium group but by fighting with another rider I lost contact with them. I was keeping the same distance to them all race but wasn’t able to close the gap. In the end we have to be positive because this was my best race of the season. We have important findings from this weekend and the good thing is that next week we have another chance.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing Team Manager: 

“After yesterday’s race we came back in a fantastic way today. Stefano was razor-sharp from the warm-up this morning and showed once again that he is a regular fixture on the podium. 

Second position was the maximum achievable result this weekend, we still continue to struggle with the Next Generation bikes. Jorge matched his best result of the year so we end the weekend on a positive note. Usually tracks like this are not the best for us but we are very happy with this podium. We look forward to racing next week in Portimão where we love to

come and we can welcome many sponsors and relations.”