WorldSBK Barcelona, GMT94 Saturday

Even if Saturday wasn’t the success GMT94 had hoped for, the Val de Marne team has high hopes for Sunday after a promising race from Lucas Mahias in Supersport and good pace from Philipp Öttl in Superbike.

After a conclusive Friday, Lucas Mahias confirmed in the race that he could be on the podium. Starting the race in the top 5, the No. 94 rider showed himself to be incisive with his rivals, finishing in the top 3 after just a few laps. The French rider then set the pace and closed the gap on Stefano Manzi. Lucas Mahias clearly looked capable of going for victory with faster lap times than his rivals. In the end, the 2017 World Champion crashed out following late braking by his rival, but can still aim for a podium finish in tomorrow’s Race 2. Lucas Mahias will start tomorrow, Sunday, from the front row following his fastest race time.

In Superbike, Phillip Öttl could look forward to a fine Saturday with a 9th place finish in the morning’s final free practice session. Starting from 19th on the grid, the GMT94 rider suffered from a grip problem from the very first laps, preventing him from setting the interesting pace he had shown during free practice.