FIM Supersport World Championship leader Dominique Aegerter secured 25 World Championship points on Saturday, flying to race one victory to extend his series lead over title-rival Lorenzo Baldassarri to 24 points.
The Swiss riders super Saturday got underway with another dominant performance in Superpole. Donning a special biofuel livery on his Ten Kate R6, Aegerter put in a carbon copy of his Friday performance, demolishing the field to secure pole position by 1.078 seconds with a new lap record.
The opening encounter of the weekend was briefly red flagged following a crash for Péter Sebestyén on the opening lap, but once the reduced 12-lap race got underway, it was a fiery affair.
A difficult start saw the championship leader fall back in the pack but quickly pushed his way through to end the opening lap in fourth. A tough qualifying for Lorenzo Baldassarri, which saw him crash his Evan Bros.WorldSSP machine on the out lap, was quickly put behind him as the lights went out, battling to victory contention on the opening lap.
However, as the shortened race unfolded, it was advantage Aegerter who after a few attempts, had worked his way to the front, passing Baldassarri and Federico Carricasulo. With a clear track ahead of him, the 31-year-old extended his advantage, eventually crossing the line 3.472 seconds clear of Baldassarri, who after a race-long battle with Can Oncu and Carricasulo, secured second place on the final lap.
Jules Cluzel backed up his French round podium with a strong top ten result in what is his first visit to the Spanish venue on the Supersport machine. The Frenchman claimed eighth place ahead of Glenn van Straalen, Kallio Racing’s Simon Jesperson and Leonardo Taccini.
GMT94 Yamaha’s Andy Verdoia secured two points with a 14th place finish, while MS Racing Yamaha’s Unai Orradre narrowly missed out on a point as he crossed the line in 16th.
Aegerter’s victory sees his title lead extend to 24 points over Lorenzo Baldassarri, while Yamaha continues to lead the manufacturer’s championship by 166 points. Ten Kate Racing remain atop of the team’s championship.
The FIM Supersport World Championship will conclude on Sunday with race two taking place at 12:30 local time.
