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It was a dream debut for the new-for-2025 Yamaha R9 machine in the FIM Supersport World Championship as Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) took it to victory in Race 1 of the Australian Round. The #62 was made to work hard for the first win of the season though, claiming it after an epic last-lap scrap with rivals Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) and Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) after the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit delivered an incredible start to the year.

Manzi headed into the 2025 season as one of the favourites after finishing as runner-up for the last two seasons, behind Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in 2023 and Adrian Huertas last year. However, Yamaha opted to introduce a new bike for this season, perhaps throwing a bit of a spanner in the works. Replacing the R6, the R9 machine is a three-cylinder 890cc bike that fits under the Next Generation ruleset of WorldSSP.

Manzi was only the third-fastest Yamaha in Friday’s Tissot Superpole session as he took eighth on the grid and a third-row start, but a lightning getaway when lights went out propelled him into fifth at the end of Lap 1. He continued to make gains as the race progressed, first taking the lead on Lap 5, before an incredible fight broke out in the second half of the race. It would all come to a crescendo on the final lap as four riders battled for victory. Manzi forced his way through on Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) at Turn 10 to claim the lead, a move which allowed Booth-Amos to sneak through into second, in a thrilling end to Race 1.

Manzi, who won the last race with the R6 and the first with the R9, stated: “It’s a great to open the season with a win, and open a new era of the bike with a win; it’s an amazing thing. I don’t have many words at the moment but it’s an amazing day. It wasn’t easy because it was a hard fight and also, with the pit stops, it was a challenging race. In winter testing in Spain and in Australia, I struggled a lot, so it was not an easy thing to do. After Friday, we weren’t super quick, but we were able to close the gap.”

After being introduced for this season, it was the perfect start to the Yamaha R9 machine’s time in WorldSSP with Race 1 victory, which was followed up by second place in Sunday’s Race 2 by Manzi, while there were four Yamaha riders in the top ten of Superpole. Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager, Niccolo Canepa, spoke about the ‘fantastic’ start with the new machine in races, where things can often appear different to testing

The 2007 STK1000 Champion said: “It’s been a fantastic start because when you come into such a highly competitive Championship like World Supersport, you never know what to expect for the first race. We were aware the big was competitive because the R9 was born as a proper race bike, but you never know until you’re racing. It’s been amazing to see not only Manzi, who was fast, but there were many riders in different stages of both races that were able to fight for the podium and fight for victory as well. We knew we had a strong line-up with strong teams and riders to fight for the Championship. It’s not only the competitiveness of the R9 but also the line-up of riders and teams that are impressive and allows us to be in front.”

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