Ten Kate Racing battle for the podium in Race One

Ten Kate Racing did not get the results it deserved in the first race for the World Supersport class at Motorland Aragón on Saturday afternoon. Stefano Manzi battled for second place until the last lap but hit another rider causing him to drop back to 11^th position. Jorge Navarro finished a difficult race in seventh place.

The tenth round of 2023 started well for Ten Kate Racing at a sunny Motorland Aragon. Stefano Manzi ended the first day in third place and Jorge Navarro finished fourth on Friday. As a result, the team went into Saturday full of confidence where the Superpole session and first race of the weekend were next up. Unfortunately, these results could not be achieved on Saturday morning as Manzi finished fifth in the Superpole session while Navarro qualified eighth on home soil.

In the race, Manzi started well and had moved up to third place by the first lap. In the second half of the race, the Italian emerged strongly and moved up to second position before battling Marcel Schrötter until the last lap. Unfortunately, Manzi hit his rear wheel in turn 15 which sent him off track and made him lose a lot of time, eventually crossing the finish line in 11^th place. Navarro rode a relatively lonely race but managed to make up some positions in the closing stages. In the end he scored nine points for Ten Kate Racing by finishing seventh.

Jorge Navarro – P7:“Compared to yesterday, today has been a bit more difficult. We didn’t make the step forward we expected. By qualifying in eighth place we still had the possibility to make a good race but I saw that the pace of the guys in front of me was better than mine. I was able to ride in the high 1’54s and I tried to follow the other riders and change my riding style a bit. It was not easy and we need to analyse what happened today, then hopefully we can make a step forward tomorrow and have a good second race.”

Stefano Manzi – P11:“It hasn’t been the best day for us. It started with some bad luck in qualifying where my best lap was cancelled for exceeding track limits and in two other laps I saw a yellow flag. It meant I had to start from the second row but in the race I made a good start. I was up to third place and closing the gap to second place. At the end of the race I was fighting with Marcel Schrötter for second place and in the last lap I touched him. I had to go in the gravel and lost a lot of time, therefore I finished in 11^thplace. That was disappointing but we will try again tomorrow.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing team manager:“It was unfortunately not such a good day for us. Stefano showed that he keeps fighting until the last metres but unfortunately he could not achieve the desired podium. It is very difficult to ride against the Next Generation bikes at the moment and the results show that. It goes without saying that Stefano will give everything to get that second place but this time it turned out wrong, that can happen and it’s part of the game. I am sure he will be back to fight for the podium tomorrow. For Jorge it was a disappointing day in his home race but we will work to improve on that.”

Stefano Manzi finishes on the podium in WorldSSP Race Two

Stefano Manzi finished second in the second World Supersport race at Motorland Aragón on Sunday afternoon. The Italian started well and soon took second place which he did not give away until the end. Jorge Navarro matched his best result in the WorldSSP category by finishing sixth.

After disappointing results in Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, Ten Kate Racing was keen to come back stronger in Race 2. Stefano Manzi got away better and was riding in third place at the end of the opening lap. On the second lap, he managed to take over second place through a nice overtaking move after which it became a relatively lonely race for the Italian. In the end, he crossed the line in second place and had managed to get the most out of the Yamaha YZF-R6. With a total of 323 points he is still second in the championship, the gap to the leader is now 85 points.

Jorge Navarro also got away better and was in the group fighting for third place. The Spaniard had to work hard for it and lost out due to a duel. In the end, he finished sixth in the race that was flagged early on the last lap due to a heavy crash. With 120 points, Navarro is ninth in the championship.

Stefano Manzi – P2: “It was a good race today. I started well and got into second position. I rode there all race but in the end some riders behind me were getting closer so I had to push. It is a good result for us at a track where we were struggling a bit more than expected. It was important to finish on the podium this weekend because we have done that at every round so far this year. Next week we will go to Portimão which will be very challenging again, but I’m looking forward to ride there again as it’s a great track.”

Jorge Navarro – P6: “Today was a more positive day. In the warm-up we managed to improve my feeling with the bike and we made some changes which made me a bit more comfortable. I started well and was in the podium group but by fighting with another rider I lost contact with them. I was keeping the same distance to them all race but wasn’t able to close the gap. In the end we have to be positive because this was my best race of the season. We have important findings from this weekend and the good thing is that next week we have another chance.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing team manager: “After yesterday’s race we came back in a fantastic way today. Stefano was razor-sharp from the warm-up this morning and showed once again that he is a regular fixture on the podium. Second position was the maximum achievable result this weekend, we still continue to struggle with the Next Generation bikes. Jorge matched his best result of the year so we end the weekend on a positive note. Usually tracks like this are not the best for us but we are very happy with this podium. We look forward to racing next week in Portimão where we love to come and we can welcome many sponsors and relations.”