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The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship moves swiftly from Portugal to the Netherlands for Round 2 of its farewell season. After an unpredictable battle last time out, Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) and Benat Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove) claimed victory and they’ll be hoping to repeat that at the TT Circuit Assen but expect the unexpected in WorldSSP300 throughout the Pirelli Dutch Round.

THE ONLY RIDERS ON THE PODIUM: three Spaniards and the two-time Champion

Fernandez stole the headlines at Portimao with pole position and a win in Race 2, although top spot in the Championship belongs to Julio Garcia (Prodina Kawasaki Racing Sport) who proved consistency is king with two second-place finishes. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI) was third in both races, while Race 1 winner Buis is fourth in the standings after his Race 2 crash. It’s a home round for the #6 who will aim to turn his fortunes around on home soil, with only one rostrum at Assen in WorldSSP300. Two previous Assen winners are on the grid, with Petr Svoboda (Kawasaki Junior Team by MTM) and Daniel Mogeda – who did the double in 2023 and 2024 respectively – aiming to keep that run going; Assen will be Mogeda’s first race with the Pons Motosport Italika Racing team and his first in 2025.

THOMPSON IN THE CHASE: seven points separating sixth from 11^th

It’s early days in 2025 but it’s very close as ever in WorldSSP300. Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) will race for the first time at Assen and he’s just a couple of points behind Buis after narrowly missing out on the rostrum at Portimao. Phillip Tonn (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) was another who had a solid weekend at Portimao, leading both races at points; however, he won’t race at Assen after suffering leg and shoulder injuries in a motocross training crash and the team will run one bike at Assen with Buis. Indonesia’s Felix Mulya (ProGP NitiRacing) was convincing on debut with two top-10 finishes and edging closer to the top five all the time. Matteo Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300) knows what’s needed to stand on the WorldSSP300 rostrum at Assen, having finished third in 2023, while the Italian’s 50^th race in the class is set for Sunday’s Race 2. Tomas Alonso (Pons Motorsport Italika Racing) took two P10s at Portimao. David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI) and Humberto Maier (Yamaha AD78 FIMLA by MS Racing) round out the top ten in the standings.

A NEW START AT ASSEN: can Round 2 be the true start of 2025 for Gennai?

Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) would have been thrilled at having Portimao start the WorldSSP300 campaign, having won the last five races until 2024, but two crashes mean he left Portugal point-less. He was on the podium at Assen in 2022, although didn’t score points last year. Can he kickstart his 2025 campaign in the Netherlands? 

GRID NEWS: replacement riders and medical checks

Four riders were declared unfit at Portimao. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) suffered a contusion and abrasion to his right knee at Portimao, and he will be reassessed ahead of Friday’s FP. ARCO Sash MotoR University Team duo Gonzalo Sanchez and Unai Calatayud both miss out through injury, with the team announcing they will be giving WorldSSP300 debuts to Valentin Folger, cousin of MotoGP™ podium finisher Jonas Folger, and Alessandro di Persio, a race winner in the FIM R3 BLU CRU World Cup. Marc Vich (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) also suffered some fractures, in his talus and navicular bones in his right foot, and will be reassessed after Friday’s FP. Elsewhere, Pepe Osuna (ZAPPAS-DEZA-BOX 77 Racing Team) will also be reviewed before the round.

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