The FIM Supersport World Championship Race 2 delivered plenty of action-packed racing on Sunday afternoon, as Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) stormed to victory at the Tissot Aragon Round at MotorLand Aragon as he works to close in on Championship leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). Montella claimed the win by almost 2 seconds ahead of fellow Italian Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura).

HUERTAS OFF ROSTRUM: Spaniard struggles to stay with leaders

It was an unsettled start for the WorldSSP line up, and not the perfect start for Montella in the opening stages of the race, as he went wide off the track, losing valuable positions and opening room for Manzi and Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) to pass, with Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) in close contention amongst the front pack.

ONCU STARTS STRONG: Turkish rider showed promising pace

Despite his strong start in the race and leading Huertas over the line in fourth with 10 laps race distance remaining, Oncu appeared to struggle with his halfway race pace, dropping to 10^th position as the #99 held onto fourth and hunted down a podium position. Navarro took control of the race with 9 laps to go and it was three riders abreast heading into turn one, as Montella worked his way back up the field, overtaking Manzi into second. The Yamaha bikes demonstrated some impressive strength in the latter stages of the race, with Debise latching onto the tail of Huertas as he chased a rostrum result.

DEBISE FOURTH: Frenchman misses out on podium

#53 rider was eager to secure a third-place finish, as he overtook Huertas with just 5 laps remaining and chased Navarro into the closing stages. The #9 Spaniard showed his strength though as he pipped Debise on the final straight and took third at the chequered flag, behind Manzi and Montella.

Coming in over the finish line in fifth was Championship leader Huertas, whilst Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) secured a top 6 result, coming in four seconds behind the race winner. German rider Marcel Schroetter rode a strong race to finish seventh ahead of Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamah) and Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) in eight and ninth, whilst Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) achieved a top ten finish for Yamaha.

TWO ROUNDS REMAIN: 41 points separate

The #99 Ducati rider, Huertas remains at the top of the Championship standings, but Montella’s outstanding Race 2 result now means he is in second place with only a 41-point difference. Yamaha rider Manzi remains in the title contention with just a five-point difference to Montella.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 2, full results here:

1. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team)
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +1.907s
3. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +2.132s
4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +2.208s
5. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +2.789s
6. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) +4.078s
Fastest lap: Valentin Debise, Yamaha – 1’52.862s

Championship standings:

1. Adrián Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 370 points
2. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 329
3. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 324
4. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) 202
5. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 188
6. Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) 175