Having qualified on pole position for the second race weekend in a row, Aegerter led the field down to Turn 1 in the race. The Swiss rider lost the lead briefly and battled for the top three positions over the next two laps, before hitting the front on the third lap. From there, the 2021 WorldSSP rookie was able to control the pace, before extending his advantage with three laps to go and crossing the line 2.846 seconds clear of his closest challenger.
From second on the grid, Odendaal managed to jump ahead of Aegerter in the braking zone for the first corner, but was unable to hold onto it as they filed through the next few turns. The South African rider retook the lead on lap two, but Aegerter fired back, with Odendaal forced to settle in behind. The Evan Bros Yamaha rider battled with Philipp Öttl’s Kawasaki, but he was able to pull away from the German and took the chequered flag in second.
GMT94 Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Jules Cluzel gained a place from sixth on the grid in the opening lap and held position for much of the 18-lap race. The Frenchman battled with Randy Krummenacher, as the pair reeled in ParkinGO Yamaha’s Manuel Gonzalez and on the final lap, Cluzel made his move, taking the position to finish fourth.
Spanish rider Gonzalez had been in the podium battle earlier in the race, but started to have pain in his right forearm, which saw him lose out to both Cluzel and Krummenacher on the last lap, seeing the 18-year-old come home in sixth.
Federico Caricasulo fell in qualifying but was still able to line up eighth for the race, which is where the GMT94 Yamaha rider went on to finish, after initially dropping outside the top 10.
Evan Bros Yamaha’s new signing Péter Sebestyén impressed in his first outing to cross the line in 11th, just ahead of bLU cRU graduate Luca Bernardi, who had to serve a long lap penalty for an incident. Ten Kate Yamaha’s Galang Hendra Pratama also picked up points, after a strong ride from 23rd to 14th.
Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Maria Herrera and Kallio Racing Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team’s Vertti Takala were both involved in separate incidents and forced to retire, while Takala’s teammate, Hannes Soomer, suffered a left distal tibia fracture in qualifying, having just set the second-fastest time.
For Race 1 results, click here.
