A dry Superpole session on Saturday morning saw R6 riders block out the third row of the grid with Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) the highest placed in seventh, followed by VFT Racing Yamaha’s rising star Nicholas Spinelli in eighth, and Ten Kate Racing Yamaha’s Jorge Navarro in 10th. Navarro’s teammate, Stefano Manzi, took 11th spot on the grid.
The grid formed under threatening skies, and the hot and humid track was soon engulfed in wind and rain, causing extra tension for the riders as they awaited ‘lights out’ and making tyre choice difficult. However, the entire field opted to race on slicks as the wet weather swept through quickly.
Following his excellent maiden podium one week ago in Australia, Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing Yamaha) looked on course to fight for another top finish. The Italian slotted into fourth place early in the 18-lap race, and he appeared confident on his machine and heading for a podium. However, a crash at turn six put paid to his charge with 10 laps remaining.
The very same lap proved unlucky for Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Andrea Mantovani when he was caught out at Turn 16 and went down. He later tried to rejoin the race but was unable to complete it.
At the halfway point of the race, the top Yamaha-supported rider was Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) in fifth. He became embroiled in an intense battle with Nicolò Bulega, and the Italian collided with the Dutch rider at Turn 16 at the end of the penultimate lap. The Yamaha rider was able to remount and continue, finishing in 11th place.
GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team rider Valentin Debise kept his head down to calmly come through the order during the crash-strewn race. He climbed his way up into the top ten, claiming a solid sixth place at the chequered flag and taking the honours of being the top Yamaha rider.
It was a challenging Saturday for Ten Kate Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team Stefano Manzi, especially compared to last weekend, where he took his first podium with Yamaha. The Italian found himself stuck in the latter stages of the race with clear air on either side of him and unable to make up any more positions. He completed the race in seventh place.
Manzi’s teammate, Jorge Navarro, finished the race in 12th position as he continues his adaptation to WorldSSP.
Team Yamaha Thailand riders Apiwath Wongthananon and Anupab Sarmoon had mixed fortunes, with the former unfortunately unable to start the race but the latter taking points with a respectable 13th place.
Sunday will see the second race of the weekend for Yamaha’s supported WorldSSP riders, and it’s sure to be another intense day at the Indonesia track.
