After qualifying fastest in the Superpole, Aegerter led the field away through Turn 1, but was soon overtaken by the VFT Racing Yamaha R6 of Caricasulo into Turn 10. Through the early stages, the Swiss rider dropped back outside the top five, with the light rain persisting and making track conditions treacherous.
Throughout the middle part of the race, the 2021 WorldSSP champion battled for the top five positions, but was able to get back into third, closing on the leaders in the final stages. With three laps to go, Aegerter moved up to second after passing Caricasulo at Turn 10, and closed onto the rear of Raffaele De Rosa’s Kawasaki on the final tour. The 31-year-old just ran out of laps though, crossing the line in second to take his 15th podium of the season.
Having missed the Argentina round, Caricasulo was back in action in Lombok, this time with the VFT Racing team. The Italian enjoyed a strong Superpole, qualifying on the front row in third, and by the end of lap one in the race, he had taken the lead.
After battling with several riders over the opening stages, the 2019 WorldSSP runner-up settled into second position and pulled a gap over the chasing back. In the closing stages, Caricasulo lost out to Aegerter with limited front tyre grip, finishing third for his second-consecutive podium.
Behind, GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Jules Cluzel enjoyed a strong recovery ride from 13th on the grid. The Frenchman made his way into the lead group early on and showed great pace in the closing stages to take fourth over the line.
ParkinGO Yamaha’s Manuel Gonzalez started from second on the grid and was into the lead battle immediately. The Spanish youngster hit the front on lap six, but was unable to match the pace of those around him, eventually finishing in fifth.
After qualifying in ninth, Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Steven Odendaal was also a part of the front battle through the first half of the race. The South African went on to finish in sixth, which was enough to seal second in the riders’ standings.
Starting fifth on the grid, Friday’s pace-setter, CM Racing Team’s Randy Krummenacher, was fighting for a podium spot throughout the opening laps, eventually finishing eighth. That was ahead of Kallio Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Hannes Soomer, who had climbed from 12th to ninth by the chequered flag.
Evan Bros Yamaha’s Peter Sebestyen rounded out the top 10, ahead of Yamaha MS Racing’s bLU cRU rider Unai Orradre. Home hero Galang Hendra Pratama took a gamble by pitting for intermediate tyres on lap four, but the conditions didn’t play to his favour and he eventually pulled out of the race. Kallio Racing Yamaha’s Vertti Takala fell from inside the points-paying positions and retired with damage.
For Race 1 results, click here.
