MANZI TAKES HARD-FOUGHT SECOND PLACE AT DONINGTON PARK FOR PATA YAMAHA TEN KATE RACING

Stefano Manzi finished second in the first World Supersport race at Donington Park on Saturday afternoon. The Italian was in third position for almost the entire race but struck in the penultimate lap after which he crossed the finish line in second place. Glenn van Straalen was outside the top twenty after a dramatic opening phase but still managed to come back to twelfth in the end.

After a good qualifying session on Friday, the first World Supersport race of the weekend took place at Donington Park on Saturday afternoon. As the clouds had given way a little to the sun, it was slightly warmer on the English circuit than on Friday.

Stefano Manzi maintained his third position after the start and did his best to follow Next Generation Supersport riders Adrián Huertas and Yari Montella. Montella stayed within reach but it was still quite a challenge to pass him. Eventually, Manzi did so on the penultimate lap with a nice move on the brakes after which he gave his compatriot no chance to hit back. It was the fourth time this year that Manzi finished second in a race, giving him his sixth podium finish of the season.

Starting from tenth on the grid, things went wrong for Glenn van Straalen in the opening stages due to a difficult start and an incident that sent him off track. On the second lap, the Dutchman was in 21st place but then managed to move to the front thanks to a good race pace. In the end, Van Straalen scored four world championship points by finishing 12th.

Stefano Manzi – P2: 

“It was a good race. Yesterday I said that I could maybe finish third but today I managed to fight for second place, so it was a bit better than expected. During the entire race I was close to Montella but he was just a few tenths in front of me. In the end I saw he dropped his pace a bit and I was able to overtake him. It’s not a win but it was a nice race and these points are important for the championship.”

Glenn van Straalen – P12: 

“On the first lap I was pushed wide in the chicane which made me lose a lot of time and positions. On the following lap I made a mistake with an overtake which made me lose time and positions again, but after that I rode a good race. It was unfortunate about the messy opening laps, looking at my speed I think I can
have a good race tomorrow. I will do my best for that.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing Team Manager: 

“Stefano rode a rock-solid race, taking the podium once again. He had to do everything he could to stay with Montella and was able to strike in the closing stages. Because we were riding with the harder rear tyre it had to happen at the end of the race and it did. It was a very strong race from him. Glenn definitely had the speed to finish in the top ten but unfortunately he was in the melee early in the race. This made it a race where he had to come towards the front again but he still managed to end up inside the points. Everything shows that the speed is there, now we just need to translate that into a result. If we get through the first lap with him, I am convinced he can finish well inside the top ten.”

Stefano Manzi finished fourth in the second World Supersport race at Donington Park on Sunday afternoon. The Italian achieved the maximum result in a shortened race behind three Next Generation Supersport bikes. Glenn van Straalen rode a strong race and ended up in seventh place.

After Manzi finished on the podium on Saturday afternoon and Van Straalen came close to the top ten despite riding outside the top twenty in the early stages, the second World Supersport race at Donington Park was eagerly anticipated. However, a red flag was waved after only two laps due to a big crash which meant the race was eventually run over a reduced distance of 12 laps.

Manzi quickly moved up to fourth from fifth on the grid and did his utmost to keep in touch with the top three. In the second half of the race, the Italian had to let those three Next Generation bikes go, making fourth place the maximum achievable result. With a total of 147 points, Manzi is third in the championship and 39 points behind the leader.

Van Straalen crashed in the first part of the race but fortunately the damage was minimal and he was able to ride back to the pit box. On the restart he lost a few positions but then made some moves forward. It looked like the Dutchman would finish eighth but in the last corner he managed to make up one more place, crossing the line in seventh. It is his best result of the season in dry conditions and with 67 points, Van Straalen is now eighth in the championship.

Stefano Manzi – P4

“This was not the raced that I hoped for. I made a good start in the first one but then we had a red flag situation. We changed to the SCX rear tyre for the restart, which was the right choice, but unfortunately we weren’t able to fight for the podium. I am not happy with this fourth position but I think it was the best we could do today.”

Glenn van Straalen – P7: 

“In the beginning of the race I was in a battle and as a result I lost connection with the group in front of me. Soon there was quite a big gap which I tried to close but then I crashed in turn 11 on something that was on the track from an earlier crash. When I got back up the red flag was waved, allowing me to go straight into the pits which I was a bit with. Then, with a new set of tyres, I was able to ride a good race with a strong pace. We showed where we belong and what we can do so I’m very happy with that.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager: 

“It was a hectic second race. Stefano and Glenn had both opted for the harder rear tyre which would pay off at the end of the race. They had both started well so things were looking positive, unfortunately on the second lap the red flag was waved and we switched to the soft rear tyre with both riders. With the shortened race distance we already knew it would be a difficult story for us, we simply don’t have the amount of torque that the Next Generation bikes do.

Despite that, Stefano gave everything by finishing fourth. That’s obviously not the result we were hoping for with him but it was definitely the maximum possible. He rode a very mature race and didn’t do any crazy things.

Glenn also rode a very strong race and I am very proud of that. He was combative and the silver linings are getting bigger, which is nice to see. We ended the weekend on a positive note with this and it brings confidence for the race weekend in Most where we will be back in action in just a few days’ time.”