The Argentinian round is the first in a trio of events that will round out the 2022 Superbike and Supersport World Championships. The San Juan Villicum circuit will again play host to what is the tenth round of the production-derived series. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing knows the track well, having participated in all three of the previous rounds that have taken place in the South American country.
In the latest races at Portimao, Can Oncu consolidated third place in the WorldSSP standings after running an exceptional race that saw him climb from fourteenth to third across the line. Yari Montella’s weekend was more complicated, the Italian suffering a crash in race 2. In Argentina, the Turk does not only want to reach the podium but will be doing all he can to score what would be his first WorldSSP win, particularly considering that he finished last year’s races in third and second place. In turn, the Italian hopes to be able to fight at the front and aim for the podium.
In Superbike Lucas Mahias has never raced at the Argentinian track with a Superbike. At a minimum, he will be looking to reach the points zone, but the top ten is the ultimate goal.
This is the fourth time the Argentinian track is hosting the production-derived championship, which has raced here since 2018 (though not in 2020 owing to Covid-19). The circuit is located close to the city of San Juan, in central Argentina, roughly 600 km from Cordoba. The track is 4276 metres long with seventeen turns, seven of which right-handers and ten left.
The full schedule for the Argentinian round is available at this link:
Lucas Mahias: “This will be my first time at the Argentinian track with a Superbike. I don’t think it will be an easy one for us, also due to the long straight, but we’ll try to make up for anything we lose there through the mixed sections. In any case, I want to give it my all during these last three rounds and round out my 2022 season as well as possible.”
Can Oncu: “The Portimao podium proves that we can fight for the win each weekend and so I’ll be going all out to fight for the podium in Argentina, with the aim of reaching the top step. I like the track and I finished second and third there last year. So I’d like to score the other position, the one I’m yet to achieve. That would be the best way to thank the team and all our sponsors.”
Yari Montella: “I’m interested to see the San Juan track as I’ve not raced there before. I’ll need to learn this brand-new track quickly, but I can also count on the support of my team that has collated a lot of data in past seasons. The two Portimao races left me a little disappointed and so I want to bounce back as quickly as possible and be back fighting for the kind of positions me and the team deserve.”
