2021 WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter was back to winning ways at Motorland Aragon in Sunday’s race.
The Ten Kate rider held off debut winner Lorenzo Baldassarri by just 0.03s at the line after a race-long battle to head a pair of former Moto2 riders on the Supersport podium. Nicolo Bulega making his debut on the rostrum for the Aruba.it Ducati squad with his own last lap move.
Sunday’s Supersport action saw the season-opener’s podium-sitters head the grid once more with Baldassarri in charge as his stellar introduction to the championship continued. Stefano Manzi lining up from the back of the grid after a tyre pressure infringement on his Dynavolt Triumph during Saturday's outing.
Lights out for the 15-lap race found Aegerter take the holeshot with a major moment for Federico Caricasulo as the Italian dropped back through the pack to run 11th on the Althea Ducati in the opening stages. Baldassarri and Puccetti’s Can Öncü once again chased down the leader as the podium battle ignited. The pair bickering for position in the process as the second lap began.
Yari Montella ran best of the rest on the second Puccetti Ninja ZX-6R in fourth as the race unfolded. EAB Racing’s Glenn van Straalen looking for a way through on the Italian ahead, with Niki Tuuli, Bulega, Adrian Huertas and Jules Cluzel inseparable in the fight for sixth. Caricasulo regrouped for tenth as he set his sights on the back of the second group with Dynavolt’s Hannes Soomer, Peter Sebestyen and Tom Booth-Amos behind.
The top three pulled three seconds free of the rest of the field with three laps complete. Baldassarri still two-tenths down on the reigning champion out front with Öncü holding on for third. Bulega was the man on the move as he dispatched first Tuuli then Montella on his rise to fifth, 1.5s now separating him from the Yamaha of van Straalen ahead.
An impressive salvage mission from Manzi found the Italian in 12th after slicing through from the back in just five laps. The Triumph into the top ten one lap later as his rapid progress continued. Cluzel enjoying a more successful second race on the GMT94 Yamaha as he too progressed up to seventh.
Baldassarri lead across the miid-race distance with Aegerter challenging then settling in his slipstream as the laps counted down. The Kawasaki just adrift of the battle as he too waited patiently for his opportunity. Max Kofler crashing out at turn one with five laps to go.
Aegerter struck on lap 12 as the lead changed again. Tuuli challenging Cluzel for sixth with the Finn succeeding on the MV Agusta down the home straight with three to go. The leader’s teammate, Leonardo Taccini suffering his second crash of the day after a disappointing warm up, this time at the opening corner.
The penultimate lap saw Öncü cut adrift of the battle for victory as the Kawasaki dropped three seconds back. Baldassarri biding his time for the final effort as the pair circulated just a tenth apart.
Van Straalen pounced for third on the final lap as Öncü tumbled down the order, technical issues curtailing his podium potential just shy of the line. Bulega setting his sights on the podium as the race counted down.
A last corner battle saw the lead swap then swap again as Aegerter secured the victory, Bulega doing likewise for third as he joined the podium celebrations alongside his fellow Moto2 mover.
Van Straalen settled for fourth at the flag from Tuuli and Cluzel. Montella holding off the hard-charging Manzi in seventh and eighth with Orelac’s Raffaele de Rosa and Soomer completing the top ten. Huertas, Caricasulo, Patrick Hobelsberger, Bahattin Sofuoglu and Booth-Amos taking the final championship points with Oli Bayliss heading Kyle Smith on the edge of the top 20.
