The Superpole and first race of the eleventh WorldSSP round played out today at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal. Already in yesterday’s practices, Can Oncu showed that he is continuing to recover after his accident at Assen and subsequent period of absence from the championship. With a time of 1’44”777, the Turk rounded out day one in thirteenth place in the combined standings.
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The rider was back on track this morning for Superpole, a session that serves to establish the grid positions for the weekend’s races. Able to improve on his time by more than a second (1’43”735), Oncu qualified in ninth place. This meant that he was able to start the first 17-lap race from the third row of the grid.
He made a very fast start when the lights went out, quickly making up many positions. His physical condition prevented him from maintaining a very strong pace but, by gritting his teeth, Can was able to remain inside the points zone and cross the line fourteenth, scoring two points for his efforts.
The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing rider will be back on track tomorrow for the final race making up this eleventh WorldSSP round.
Autodromo Internacional Algarve – Portimao – Portugal
Supersport World Championship
Superpole: 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Manzi (Yamaha) – 3) Montella (Ducati) – 4) Navarro (Yamaha) – 5) Debise (Yamaha) – 6) Edwards (Yamaha) ………. 9) Oncu (Kawasaki)
Race 1 – 1) Bulega (Ducati) – 2) Manzi (Yamaha) – 3) Navarro (Yamaha) – 4) Schroetter (MV Agusta) – 5) Debise (Yamaha) – 6) Caricasulo (Ducati) ………..14) Oncu (Kawasaki)
Can Oncu
“I started well but then had some difficulty with my left arm, as I’m not yet fully recovered from my injury. If I were fully fit, I could have fought for the win today but for now I’ll settle for improving race by race. The end result, inside the points zone, is positive, but for tomorrow I hope to improve my position. Thanks to my team for their amazing support.”
