Dominique Aegerter starts the penultimate World Supersport round at the Circuit San Juan Villicum with a 54-point lead in the championship. Galang Hendra Pratama will not race in Argentina due to visa problems. Leonardo Taccini is replacing Hendra Pratama for this round at Ten Kate Racing Yamaha.

It has been a long time since the WorldSBK paddock had an overseas race. The penultimate round of the World Supersport championship will take place this weekend (15-17 October) at the Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina. Dominique Aegerter has the chance to win his first world title, which would mean the tenth World Supersport title for Ten Kate Racing. Aegerter starts the race weekend with a 54-point lead. Aegerter will become world champion if he has a 50-point lead or more after the second race in Argentina.

Unfortunately, Galang Hendra Pratama will not compete in Argentina due to visa problems. Leonardo Taccini will replace Hendra Pratama. Taccini is a 19-year-old rider from Italy, who raced in the WordSSP challenge last season, a competition within the World Supersport category. For Taccini it will be his first experience with the Yamaha R6. The young Italian will do everything he can to have a positive weekend. Hendra Pratama will return at Ten Kate Racing Yamaha for his home race in Indonesia, the final round of the 2021 season.

The Circuito San Juan Villicum is a new track for Aegerter and Taccini. The races will be held on Saturday and Sunday at 13:30 local time. At that time it is 18:30 in the Netherlands. (GMT +1)

Dominique Aegerter: “It has been two years since we had an overseas race. I can’t wait to ride in Argentina. There was a lot of paperwork involved to make the trip possible and I want to thank my manager, Monique from Ten Kate Racing Yamaha, Dorna and WorldSBK for that. I’m always excited to ride at a new track. I prepared in the best possible way by watching a lot of videos. Ten Kate Racing Yamaha has also done its homework. It’s an important round for the championship. We will work hard to make it a strong weekend for us!”

Leonardo Taccini: “I am really looking forward to race with Ten Kate Racing Yamaha for my first time outside of Europe. I am very proud to ride for this team with so much experience and a competitive bike. I have been riding with Kawasaki all year and I am very curious to see how it will be on a Yamaha R6. It will be my first time at the San Juan circuit, but I think it could be a good track for me. I want to thank Ten Kate Racing Yamaha, my family and everyone who supports me for this opportunity. I will do my best!”

Team manager Kervin Bos: “Let’s go to Argentina. It has already been a much-discussed weekend before we even started. We will start with a new rider Leonardo Taccini, because Galang cannot travel to Argentina due to his visa problems. Dominique has a comfortable lead in the championship. We are more than sharp and have learnt from what went wrong in Race 2 at Portimão. The competition will be fighting against a strong and highly motivated Ten Kate Racing Yamaha team. We also welcome Leonardo to the team and will be looking forward to a positive weekend with him.”