Conditions at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain were dry and sunny for the second day of this final WorldSSP round. Carrying injury from the previous Estoril round, Can Oncu was passed fit to compete at Jerez by the circuit doctors. After completing one free practice, he was able to qualify tenth in Superpole.
This result meant that he lined up on the fourth row of the grid for the afternoon’s 17-lap race.
Oncu started well when the lights went out on the race and was quickly up into the front positions. Unfortunately, an incident on lap three saw both Oncu and another rider go down through turn 13. Able to rejoin the race, the Turkish rider was handed a double long lap penalty after having been deemed responsible for the crash. The penalty served, Can was making up positions but preferred to return to the garage and change tyres. Returning to the track, he was able to set the second fastest lap of the race, which means he will start tomorrow’s Race 2, the final race of the 2024 WorldSSP season, from the front row of the grid.
Circuito de Jerez – Spain
Supersport World Championship
Race 1: 1) Manzi (Yamaha) – 2) Montella (Ducati) – 3) Huertas (Ducati) – 4) Schroetter (MV Agusta) – 5) Mahias (Yamaha) – 6) Booth-Amos (Triumph) ………. 23) Oncu (Kawasaki)
Can Oncu
“I made a mistake and crashed but up until that point, I’d been in the front group fighting with the fastest guys. Even though I received a double long lap penalty, I then came into the garage and put in fresh tyres. That done, I went back out on track and set the second fastest lap of the race, which means I’ll start Race 2 from the front row. I want to enjoy tomorrow’s race and seize this final chance of the year to complete a strong race.”
