Krummenacher Crowned Supersport World Champion in Qatar

27-10-2019

Krummenacher Crowned Supersport World Champion in Qatar

Bardahl Evan Bros. Yamaha Supported WorldSSP rider, Randy Krummenacher, was crowned as the 2019 Supersport World Champion, after an eventful race in Qatar that he finished in fifth place. Teammate Federico Caricasulo's challenge for the title was effectively ended on the opening lap, when he experienced a technical issue that dogged him throughout the race. The final race of the season was won by Lucas Mahias, with GMT94 Yamaha's Jules Cluzel and Kallio Racing Yamaha's Isaac Viñales joining the Frenchman on the podium.

It was Cluzel who made the early running at the front, closely shadowed by Corentin Perolari, who rode a superb race and sacrificed his own ambitions in support of his teammate's title aspirations. However, the GMT94 Yamaha pairing were unable to fend off the challenge of Lucas Mahias, the eventual race winner.

With Mahias pulling a gap at the front, Cluzel was embroiled in a battle with Viñales, as Perolari dropped back into the clutches of Caricasulo and Krummenacher, who were involved in their own battle for fifth place. The Italian eventually passed Perolari for fourth, with Krummenacher following him shortly afterwards to take fifth, which was enough for the Swiss rider to claim the 2019 Supersport World Championship title.

Fourth place for Caricasulo was enough for him to retain second place in the championship, six points behind his teammate, with Cluzel finishing third, a further seven points back.

Randy Krummenacher

"It's an incredible feeling to be world champion, after working towards this moment for the past 24 years. I can't really take it in at the moment, but I'm so thankful to everyone who helped me to get to where I am today, especially my family, who supported me every day and gave me the power to achieve my goal. Today it was a very tough race. After the warm-up I thought I could win today, but in the race, I felt completely different on the bike and I had to fight. The last laps the feeling was very strong that I was about to win the championship, which was also pretty stressful, which meant I wasn't as fast as I could have been in the closing stages!"

Federico Caricasulo

"After the good job we've done the last two days, today I thought we could win the final race of the season, but it wasn't to be. I was fast and my rhythm was good, but from the first lap I had no engine braking at all. This made it impossible for me to ride the bike like in practice; I tried to do everything I could, but it was impossible. I'm really disappointed because today could have been very different. We had the potential to battle for the win, that is clear, but it proved impossible."

Andrea Dosoli

"It's been a fantastic WorldSSP season and an incredible battle for the championship between the two Bardahl Yamaha riders, Randy and Federico. Both have been incredibly fast and consistent this season and it really could have been either of them that won out today. In the end it was Randy who took the honours, deservedly so, and I'd like to say congratulations to him on his world championship title. I'd also like to congratulate the Bardahl Evan Bros. squad on winning the team's championship that, together with the manufacturer's title secured earlier in the season, means that Yamaha has achieved the triple crown in WorldSSP this year. But we won't be resting on our laurels; we have seen how strong today's race winner, Lucas Mahias, has been in the second half of the season and I expect he will come back even stronger next year. This means we will have to work hard over the winter to ensure we do the same, but increased competition is welcomed, as it strengthens what is already an ultra-competitive championship."