Race 2 in the FIM Supersport World Championship came to an early end for Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at the TT Circuit Assen during the Pirelli Dutch Round when he crashed with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) on the opening lap. Oncu was taken to the medical centre following the crash where he was diagnosed with multiple fractures to his left forearm, while Montella was penalised for his role in the crash.

Oncu started Race 2 from fifth place with Montella in seventh place and the pair were alongside each on the run into the right-hander of Turn 1. In the braking area, Montella moved to the inside of Oncu but the Italian, who was teammates with Oncu in 2022 at Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, was out of shape and hit the Mandalika Race 1 winner with both riders going into the gravel and out of the race. The FIM WorldSBK Stewards opted to investigate the incident.

Following their investigation, Montella was penalised with a double Long Lap Penalty to be taken in the next race he participates in. Oncu was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and he was diagnosed with fractures to his left arm: a fracture of the distal ulna and a fracture to the proximal radius.

Reacting to the crash, Oncu said: “I started strong and was heading into the first corner but as soon as I began to lean into the turn, I was hit by another rider and crashed. It was a serious, high-speed crash and I immediately realised that I’d hurt myself. Now all I can do is follow the indications of the doctors in the hope I can be back on track as soon as possible.”

Oncu had started the weekend strongly and topped the times in Friday’s two practice sessions in the combined classification, posting a 1’37.591s to lead ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in second by just 0.005s. He took fifth place in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session but quickly found himself in the lead battle in the first half of the race before dropping back through the field to finish in seventh.

After the race, Montella said: "There’s not much to say about today’s race. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in braking and was too aggressive after making a good start, losing the bike and also hitting Can Oncu. I immediately apologised to him and his team, but I also want to say sorry to my own team. We’ll now work to prepare for Barcelona and try to find a little peace of mind.”

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