Jules Cluzel fights for victory in Race 1.

After a superb qualifying session that put him on the front row of the grid, Jules Cluzel made a good start in race 1. In the leading group, Jules made numerous overtakes to settle regularly around the 3rd place. Unfortunately, on the last lap, Jules missed two gears in turns 8 and 11, losing nearly three seconds and several places. He finished 7th, three seconds and five tenths from victory. Jules nevertheless set an excellent race pace and was very aggressive. The team therefore has a second chance of a podium finish tomorrow. Andy Verdoia finished 21st. Race 1 was shortened by five laps due to the serious accident of Dutch rider Victor Steeman in the 300cc class. The whole team wishes him a quick recovery. Tomorrow the race will be shortened to 17 laps, which should be to Jules’ advantage, as he is very fast on worn tyres.

Jules Cluzel: “It was a race where I had fun. It’s a shame about the last lap, because I don’t really know what happened. Maybe I touch a little bit the gear selector. I was close to crash. Apart from that, I feel really strong on the corners entries, but with these races in pack we all get stopped at the apex, and then it’s difficult to overtake on the slipstream. You have to manage to be first or second to try and get away, which I’ll try to do from tomorrow.“