PREVIEW: Huertas arrives at Donington as the WorldSSP leader… can anyone beat him?
Huertas took the double at Misano as title rival Montella fell just short on home soil, claiming P2 in both races
The FIM Supersport World Championship heads into its fifth round of the season and two names are standing out in the table ahead of the Prosecco DOC UK Round at Donington Park. At Misano, Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) was the rider to beat thanks to his impressive double while rival Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) could only follow him at the flag, taking a pair of second place finishes on home soil. With their battle raging on, what drama will the UK have in store?
HUERTAS LEADS THE CHAMPIONSHIP: four victories in eight races
Huertas’ start to the season wasn’t perfect, winning Race 1 in Barcelona but also retiring from two races. However, everything changed at Assen and, since then, he has scored three wins and a second place in four races. He has never been on the podium in the UK in WorldSSP, but his switch to Ducati has suited him well so far. Montella is 11 points behind the Spaniard in the classification and has two wins and two other podiums this year. However, at Misano, he had to settle for two second places although he was the only rider who could go with Huertas; even a problem with the #99’s visor couldn’t prevent Huertas from winning. Stefano Manzi (Pata Prometeon Ten Kate Racing) took a podium last time out and sits third, 22 points behind the leader. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was sixth at Misano but heads into Donington on the back of a solid Moto2™ return at Assen and Sachesnring.
THE CHASING GROUP: 24 points between fifth and ninth
Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) is fifth with 58 points and heads to Donington on the back of a stunning Misano rostrum in Race 2, his second of the year, and will no doubt want to continue that run. However, he will have to fend off Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) who is just six points behind. In his first weekend with his new team, Jorge Navarro (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) achieved his best result of the year with two fifth places and will be hoping to continue that run. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) is eighth and comes from two non-scores in Italy, while Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) is just a point behind, and Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) rounds out the top ten.
THE FIGHT IS ON: Edwards hoping to extend WorldSSP Challenge advantage
Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) has shown flashes of brilliance in WorldSSP and that’s led him to top spot in the WorldSSP Challenge field with 19 points, leading Simone Corsi (Renzi Corse) by nine points. Will the Australian and the Italian be dicing it out for WorldSSP Challenge honours, or will Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) get in the mix?
LOCAL RIDERS AND WILDCARDS: home heroes looking for success
John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) is the highest-placed British rider in the standings with 25 points to his name but will be hoping to end a run of three races without a point. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) is 18th and heads into his home round on the back of his best result of 2024 with tenth. The third Brit on the grid is wildcard TJ Toms (R&R Racing) who is set for his WorldSSP debut on the Yamaha R6. Eugene James McManus (ROKiT Haslam Racing) returns on the Panigale V2, after competing in the Catalunya Round in March. Elsewhere, Simon Jespersen and the Vince64 Racing Team by Puccetti will not be at the UK Round.
Follow all the action from WorldSSP throughout 2024 in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!
