Race 1 for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship delivered everything you could ask for at the Czech Round, with a stunning battle for victory which was decided on the final lap. Taking the glory on Saturday was polesitter Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) after a brilliant move saw the Dutchman claim his second victory in the class.

The WorldSSP300 grid put on a fantastic display, sending the crowd surrounding the Autodrom Most to their feet after Veneman took victory by a mere 0.075s. The #7 won from Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team), who claimed second and his 15^th podium after a fantastic ride. Meanwhile, the final spot on the podium went the way of Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) on his WorldSSP300 debut.

LIGHTS OUT: Veneman vs Iglesias

There was drama before the start with Jeffery Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) entering the pitlane, with his team working frantically to fix an issue. Once the lights went out it was a phenomenal start from Veneman, who led the field through Turn 1, with Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) charging behind. The lead would change multiple times in the opening laps with Thompson also hitting the front briefly.

Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) soon took P1, before the #91 was forced to retire with nine laps remaining due to a technical issue. It was then a six-rider group at the front, with the lead changing every lap and tension building around the circuit. Veneman soon began to fight back as all attention soon turned to the final lap of the race.

LAST LAP: Veneman storms to glory

The polesitter’s lead did not last long with Iglesias stealing the lead on the entry to Turn 1, aiming to add to his win tally in 2024. Veneman soon responded, putting together the perfect final sector, jumping from third to first with a brave overtake.

DAMAGE LIMITATION: Mahendra inside top 10

Missing out on a podium in Race 1 was Mirko Gennai, who was 0.064s behind and completed a great day for the MTM Kawasaki squad. The #26 was ahead of Iglesias, who rounded out the top five positions after a small mistake on the last lap. Oliver Svendsen (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) took sixth, finishing ahead of Pepe Osuna (DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team). Eighth place went the way of Aldi Mahendra (Team BrCorse), who carved through the field after he had to complete a double Long Lap due to an incident in Warm Up. The #57 was ahead of MS Racing’s Humberto Maier and David Salvador, who rounded out the top 10.

NO POINTS: Buis outside the top 15

Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) was 11^th ahead of compatriot Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) in Race 1. Gaggi was promoted to 12^th after Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) was demoted one position for exceeding track limits on the final lap. Meanwhile, the final point-scoring positions went the way of Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team’s Emiliano Ercolani and Kevin Fontainha (Yamaha AD78 FIM LA by MS Racing). However, further back Buis would finish down in 21^st after the #1 lost time in pitlane and had to take a Long Lap due to an incident in Superpole.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 1, full results here:

1. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki)

2. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) +0.075s

3. Carter Thompson (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.150s

4. Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) +0.214s

5. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.398s

6. Oliver Svendsen (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) +0.477s

Fastest lap: Carter Thompson (Kawasaki) – 1’45.666s – new lap record

Make sure you tune in for Race 2 on Sunday at 12:45 Local Time (UTC+2), using the WorldSBK VideoPass, now with 30% off!