WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 victors: Booth-Amos adds his name to riders to win in both Championships
There had only ever been three racers who had won races in both WorldSSP and WorldSSP300, until Booth-Amos made it four in Australia
The FIM Supersport World Championship season got underway two weekends ago at the beloved Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia while WorldSSP300 will kick off at the end of March at Portimao. Many riders from WorldSSP300 have tried their hand at the intermediate class with varying levels of success, but four riders can say they have won in both thanks to Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) claiming his maiden World Supersport victory in Australia.
THE FIRST TO DO IT: Gonzalez creates history by winning in both classes
Manuel Gonzalez competed in the first-ever season of World Supersport 300, back in 2017, and while that season he made only a single race appearance, he would return in 2018. That second campaign, the Madrid native proved his prowess, placing sixth in the Riders’ Championship; however, a race win still eluded him. 2019 proved to be ‘Manugass’s year, as with three wins and six podiums, Gonzalez was named World Champion. In 2021, he moved on try his luck in World Supersport, where in his second year, he earned a 3rd place in the Riders’ Championship. His 2021 campaign saw him win a pair of races, making him the first ever rider to win races in both categories. Subsequently, he made a move to Moto2™ where he has consistently been around the podium, in 2024 he finished third in the Riders’ Championship, and has two Moto2™ wins to his name. Gonzalez has gotten off to a red-hot start to 2025, as he topped the podium in the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix, 2.6s clear of fellow Spaniard Aron Canet in second.
A BIG NAME ACHIEVES IT: the Sofuoglu name returns to the top step of the WorldSSP rostrum
Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) made his WorldSSP300 debut in 2018 for a single race, then appeared again in 2019, this time for three races. 2020 would be the Turkish rider’s breakout season, riding his Yamaha R3 to four podiums and two race wins, earning a third-place finish in the Riders’ Championship. 2021 would be similarly successful, winning the same four podiums and two wins, culminating in a 2022 move to World Supersport. 2022 was a quiet year for the Turk, however 2023 would see him replicate his WorldSSP300 form, winning Race 2 at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya to become the second-ever WorldSSP 300 and WorldSSP race winner. His success warranted a move to WorldSBK for 2025, and he scored points on his debut in Australia.
A DOUBLE CHAMPION: Huertas wins both titles for a unique achievement
In 2021, while Gonzalez was earning his third-place finish in WorldSSP, Adrian Huertas was following in his fellow Madrid-native’s footsteps and would be named WorldSSP300 Champion with his MTM Kawasaki team as the Parla native won 6 races on the season. 2022 spelled a move to WorldSSP for Huertas, and while he stayed with his MTM Kawasaki team, it took him some time to adapt to the larger bike as he earned back-to-back 12th place finishes in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, with a move to Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, Huertas thundered back into the limelight with a 10-win, Championship winning campaign. With his 2024 WorldSSP Championship-winning season, he became the first-ever rider to win both the WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 Riders’ Championships. His success earned him a move to Moto2™, where he now competes with Italtrans Racing Team and scored points on debut in Thailand.
BOOTH-AMOS ADDS TO THE CLUB: a first WorldSSP win for ‘TBA’
The Stafford-born rider joined WorldSSP300 in 2020, racing contemporarily with Huertas and Sofuoglu, in fact, after a strong rookie season in WorldSSP300, having earned a 6th place Riders’ Championship finish with five podiums and one win, it was Adrian Huertas who deprived Booth-Amos of the WorldSSP300 title the following year. Booth-Amos had a very strong year, improving to two race wins and six second-place finishes, however an injury in Race 1 at Barcelona ruled him out of the next three races, erasing chances of a late-season comeback. 2022 brought with it a move to WorldSSP, a change that took some time to acclimate to. From 2022 to 2024, Booth-Amos showed steady improvement, going from finishing the season 23rd, to 15th in 2023, to 10th in 2024, where he earned his first podium in the form of a third-place finish at Cremona in Race 2. 2025 so far has already been his most successful, earning one first place and one second place in Australia's season-opener, and becoming the fourth rider to win in both WorldSSP and WorldSSP300.
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