05-13 Italy – Imola – WorldSSP Italy: Jules ” Catenaccio ” Cluzel doubles the bet at Imola! – Used YAMAHA

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WorldSSP Italy: Jules ” Catenaccio ” Cluzel doubles the bet at Imola !

05-13 Italy - Imola - WorldSSP Italy: Jules '' Catenaccio '' Cluzel doubles the bet at Imola! - Used YAMAHA

Unlike Mahias then Caricasulo, Cluzel made no mistakes in the Supersport race this afternoon at Imola. Like the two Yamaha factory riders, De Rosa and Cortese tried to break the lock on R6 # 16, without success.. Jules thus pockets the first double 2018: Forza Julo !

The fifth Supersport race of this 2018 season is very special: Kenan Sofuoglu has decided to say goodbye! The driver with five world titles in the 600 category, with 125 starts and 85 podiums including 43 victories did not want to settle for a lap of honor…

However, the famous n ° 54 greets the spectators and returns to the pits at the end of the warm-up lap! The super strong man of the championship has finally promised his mom – it’s Mother’s Day in Italy! – not to take the start of this final race. This damn champion is a nice son !

Qualified for the first two places ahead of Sofuoglu during a Superpole marred by the onset of rain at the very end of SP1, Lucas Mahias and Jules Cluzel thought they would share the first row of the grid with the Turkish driver. They will set off without him…

Our two top drivers start in front of Caricasulo (young and talented teammate of Mahias), Hartog, Stapleford, Roccoli, Okubo, Cortese (winner of the race in Aragon), De Rosa, Krummenacher (second in the provisional and author of an incredible comeback in Assen), Badovini, Stirpe, Morrentino, Cresson, etc..

Departure : Mahias and Cluzel started very well from their first row and Jules won the braking of the first Traguardo sequence. Lucas is ahead of three Italians: Massimo Roccoli and Federico Caricasulo on Yamaha, Raffaele de Rosa on MV Agusta! Hartog, Cortese, Tuuli, Cresson and Okubo complete the Top 10. Stapleford and Krummenacher follow a few lengths behind.

At the head of the race, Julo takes very defensive trajectories to prevent any attack from Lucas. At the start of the 3rd lap, the two Frenchmen were just a second ahead of Federico Caricasulo who moved away from De Rosa, Cortese and Roccoli.

Faster than Cluzel, Mahias attacks and brakes the Tosa chicane! But the fastest man in the race is behind: Caricasulo climbs back up to Cluzel very quickly and sets off an improbable attack in the Alta Variant, the tightest chicane on the Imola track. !

The Italian n ° 64 comes out of the descent towards Rivazza in front of our French n ° 16 and places in his sights our world champion n ° 144 who completes a 4th record lap … Slightly left behind by Caricasulo, Cluzel is chased by Cortese and De Rosa.

While pushing his R6 to its limits in order to prevent the return of his fiery teammate, Lucas Mahias loses the front in the first right of Rivazza! He quickly picked up his motorcycle and returned to the track in a distant 21st place…

Fortunately for Lucas, this Italian race is proving tough for Krummenacher as well: the Swiss driver who had managed to move up from last place on the grid to second place on the podium in Assen (!) Is fighting against Cluzel’s teammate, Gradinger, for a disappointing 11th place.

In the 7th loop, the new leader Caricasulo is lost in the bowl of Acque Minareli and must let his three pursuers pass: Cluzel finds "his" first place just ahead of Cortese and De Rosa. Our compatriot begins to ensure a magnificent defense.

Unable to blow the Cluzel lock, Cortese is passed by De Rosa in the 8th lap: will the n ° 3 MV Agusta find an opening on our n ° 16 international? In the wake of the three leading men, Caricasulo applies himself and returns to contact.

More than ten seconds behind this fantastic quartet, Tuuli, West, Hartog, Stapleford, Krummenacher, Cresson and Gradinger are rolling wheel in wheel! The fastest driver on the track, Mahias climbs back very hard on this turbulent group which stretches over three short seconds.

With six laps to go, De Rosa manages to overtake Cluzel. "Julo" immediately regains command, but is warned: De Rosa is ready for battle! Cortese and Caricasulo follow the factory MV Agusta without difficulty: they are also aiming for victory … Federico passes Sandro in the Tosa pin.

Thirteen seconds behind, Krummenacher takes the lead of the peloton, ahead of Tuuli, West and Stapleford, in fifth place. But the n ° 21 fights above all against Mahias, placed in ninth position with two laps from the end! The Swiss and the French fight indirectly for first place in the championship…

At the forefront, Caricasulo wins a new place: passed in front of his compatriot De Rosa and his MV Agusta n ° 3, the official Yamaha n ° 64 finds himself behind the leader Cluzel and his private Yamaha n ° 16 … Jules sets out in a last high voltage tower !

Impeccable in the first chicane Traguardo, solid in the left-right Villeneuve, late on the braking of Tosa, excellent in Piratella, Cluzel comes out of Acque Minareli a less strong suspicion than Caricasulo … The Italian is thinking of attacking the French in the braking of the Variante Alta but gave it up at the last moment, losing some of its momentum.

Jules Cluzel who continues to attack as much as possible has a few steps ahead in the last section of the circuit. The winner of the Assen super race three weeks ago continues with another victory at Imola ahead of locals Caricasulo and De Rosa. Forza Julo !

Sandro Cortese finished at the foot of the podium, in the rear wheel of the official MV Agusta, very far ahead of Randy Krummenacher who pockets 11 points for fifth place and steals Lucas Mahias (eighth) first place in the provisional WSSP 2018 ranking !

Copiously reduced at Assen, the gaps between the strongmen of the Supersport world championship become damn tight at the end of this Italian race: the first three winners of the season (Mahias, Krummenacher then Cortese) are separated by only four points. !

Thanks to his magnificent double – the first of his career according to him! – Jules Cluzel found himself six short lengths behind the new Swiss leader. caricasulo and De Rosa who accompany him on the podium in Imola follow him in the provisional, 6 and 24 points respectively.

Next distribution of points: in two weeks in Great Britain on the Donington Park circuit: "Stay Tuned" !

WSSP 2018 race result in Imola

05-13 Italy - Imola - WorldSSP Italy: Jules '' Catenaccio '' Cluzel doubles the bet at Imola! - Used YAMAHA

05-13 Italy - Imola - WorldSSP Italy: Jules '' Catenaccio '' Cluzel doubles the bet at Imola! - Used YAMAHA

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