05-13 Italy – Imola – WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu – Secondhand KAWASAKI

WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu

05-13 Italy - Imola - WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu - Pre-owned KAWASAKI

Kenan Sofuoglu won the – short – World Supersport race this Sunday at Imola, but Lucas Mahias did not take a tire off him! Our compatriot on his factory Yamaha n ° 144 finishes in the wheel of the Kawasaki n ° 1 of the Turkish champion and increases his lead in the championship…

Postponed, the Supersport race is exceptionally launched after the second Superbike round … and limited to only 11 laps! The pilots will have to engage the "sprint" mode of their machines, but not to fault.

Departure : Lucas Mahias takes a – third! – very good start in front of PJ Jacobsen, Kenan Sofuoglu, Christian Gamarino, Kyle Smith, Kyle Ryde, Hikari Okubo, Sheridan Morais, Federico Caricasulo (started from his fourth place but was forced to go through the pits during the race so as not to have started from last place this afternoon …), Jules Cluzel, etc..

Mahias completes the first lap just ahead of Sofuoglu and Jacobsen. Gamarino leads the rest of the peloton from which Ryde falls on the first pass of the Variente Bassa! Cluzel, on the contrary, makes his way through his opponents: "Julo" is in eighth place at the end of the 2nd round….

05-13 Italy - Imola - WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu - Pre-owned KAWASAKI

Still in the lead, the Yamaha n ° 144 held up well ahead of the Kawasaki n ° 1 and gradually distance the MV Agusta n ° 99. The No. 11 and No. 111 Honda (from Gamarino and Smith) are several lengths away from the Italian machine. A little further still, Morais is the target of Cluzel passed in front of his teammate Okubo.

Attacked by Kenan at the entrance to the last chicane of the 2nd lap, Lucas passes briefly in front of the Kawa at the exit but is beaten at the end of the line – not very – straight. The duel between the two leading men benefits PJ who returns to contact.

In the background, Alex Baldolini drives on an MV Agusta whose engine slowly gives up the ghost and gives off a thick bluish smoke … The Italian driver gives up a little late, but the condition of the track is not considered dangerous by the marshals: the race can continue, phew !

05-13 Italy - Imola - WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu - Secondhand KAWASAKI

Gamarino gets lost in a pif-paf and lets Smith and Morais pass. Cluzel joins this group of drivers who are fighting for fourth place. Nikki Tuli loses the rear at the exit of a fast right and almost gets hit by his pursuers … Remaining in the middle of the track, his R6 is fortunately quickly evacuated. Red flags stay put…

While Mahias wisely follows in Sofuoglu’s wake, Cluzel (six seconds behind) disputes Gamarino for his sixth place! Morais and Smith are driving just in front of our "Coq Supersportif". Jacobsen signs the fastest lap in the race and joins the two leaders. There are already only four laps left to go !

The Turkish n ° 1 raised the tone in the 8th lap and erased the record just set by the American n ° 99! In the rhythm, our compatriot at n ° 144 remains equidistant from his two rivals. Better, Lucas in his turn sets the best time of the race in the penultimate lap: he moves away from PJ and approaches Kenan…

05-13 Italy - Imola - WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu - Secondhand KAWASAKI

In the final loop, championship leader Lucas Mahias only nibbles five thousandths of a second on five-time Supersport world champion Kenan Sofuoglu! PJ Jacobsen takes his MV Agusta "Reparto Corse" to the podium alongside the Kawasaki Pucetti and the factory Yamaha.

Small frustration for our multiple "vice-champion" WSSP, Jules Cluzel, who ends this short race in the wheel of Kyle Smith. The Briton and his Honda n ° 111 complete the Top 5, not far from Sheridan Morais on his Yamaha (old generation).

Kenan Sofuoglu wins his 40th victory in the Supersport World Championship. Winner in Assen two weeks ago, the five-time champion brings his score to 50 points and leaps to fourth place in the provisional, 11 points ahead of Jules Cluzel (6th) and 35 points behind Lucas Mahias, still leader !

WSSP 2017 race result in Imola

05-13 Italy - Imola - WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu - Secondhand KAWASAKI

05-13 Italy - Imola - WSSP Italy: Mahias ensures behind the champion Sofuoglu - Secondhand KAWASAKI

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