This Saturday morning took place the Superpole session which defines the places on the starting grid. Andy Verdoia did a very good session and finished 5th, a little more than three tenths off the pole. Valentin Debise did not manage to use his second new tyre, due to a red flag. He will therefore start from 10th place in the two races of this weekend.
In the first corner of the first lap, a crash took place and Andy Verdoia was knocked down by an opponent. Fortunately the GMT94 Yamaha R6 rider escaped unhurt. He will be able to ride tomorrow without any problems.
Five riders were knocked down, which put Debise in 8th place at the end of the first lap. Jules Cluzel’s replacement rider then made a good comeback to take 2nd place. Valentin fought for the podium throughout the race, crossing the line in 4th place, 19 thousandths from the podium and 67 thousandths from 2nd place. A magnificent race, with incredible overtaking.
Valentin Debise: “I’m a bit frustrated because I failed so close to my goal. My bike was a real rocket in the straight line, and I was able to brake very hard. I was hard to overtake, and I played it well. Unfortunately on the last lap a rider overtook me in turn 2, this made us wide and I lost two positions. I finished 4th, and I thank the team for their great work, the bike allowed me to accelerate better than the others in key corners which was a real advantage. See you tomorrow for race 2.“
Andy Verdoia: “I’m really disappointed, because this morning I had my best Superpole since I joined the 600cc World Supersport class. I made a good start in Race 1, I was well placed on the outside of the first corner, but I got swept away in a group crash. I’m doing well, and I’m looking forward to getting my revenge tomorrow in Race 2.“
See you tomorrow at 12:30 for Race 2, broadcast live on Eurosport!
