Ten Kate’s Dominique Aegerter chose the perfect moment to hit the front of the second WorldSSP race at Navarra on Sunday, taking the lead and the victory narrowly before a red flag.
Having led for the majority of the 12-lap stunted race, Steven Odendaal settled for second once again at the northern Spanish track with Luca Bernardi claiming a consecutive podium visit in third.
Simon Jespersen took the lead after a brief delay before the lights due to two riders being in the wrong grid positions. A strong start from Jules Cluzel was undone after the Frenchman dropped from second to sixth, Odendaal taking control at the end of the opening lap.
A three-rider fight began for third as Bernardi, Marcel Brenner and Aegerter battled for position, Saturday’s podium sitter coming under attack at the end of lap two before the move was confirmed as the next lap unfolded.
Drama saw Can Öncü, Randy Krummenacher and Hikari Okubo out of the race, the latter falling alone at turn 15 with the former pair’s coming together under investigation. Edwardo Montero Huerta was the next to fall, at turn six, with Galang Hendra Pratama siding out six corners later as the attrition rate continued to rise.
Back out front and Odendaal was stretching his lead to well over one-second, now from Aegerter, as Caricasulo brought his new R6 into the fight in fifth. Philip Oettl - the first of the non-Yamaha machines - running sixth with Cluzel, Niki Tuuli, Brenner and Raffaele de Rosa rounding out the top-10.
Aegerter was reeling in the leader as the seventh lap concluded, six-tenths now the gap to bridge with 13 to go, while Bernardi made his move for a second successive podium, claiming third next time around.
The championship leader was briefly in command but the South African hit back immediately, the duo inseparable as the battle continued throughout the mid-race distance.
The returning Italian had the podium in his sights at the halfway stage, Caricasulo closing in on Bernardi ahead, easily dispatching Jespersen who was fading fast, before the San Marino rider upped his pace to defend third position. Cluzel soon coming into play as he began to challenge his former teammate for fourth.
Aegerter took charge with seven to go, but the Evan Bros. rider wasn’t giving up, two-tenths separating the pair as the race neared its conclusion. A red flag flew with six laps to go after a major turn one crash for Borja Gomez, Aegerter securing his eighth victory of the season as Sunday’s podium mirrored that of the previous afternoon.
More to follow
