SSP 300, Donington J3: Sabatucci wins a race in which Verdoïa started 37th to finish second!

This British weekend was not favorable to the Championship leaders. So after his fall, Alvaro Bautista lost first place in Superbike. In Supersport 300, Manuel Gonzalez was declared unfit to race by the medical profession due to his dislocated right shoulder (and therefore damaged ligaments) following his heavy fall in Superpole.

It was less worse for Gonzalez than for Bautista, because “Manugasss_18” arrived at Donington with 108 points, compared to 65 for his immediate pursuers Ana Carrasco and Scott Deroue. And the next SSP 300 race will take place at Portimao on September 8 and Manuel should be fully recovered by then.

On the first two rows were Ton Kawakami (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), Andy Verdoïa (BCD Yamaha MS Racing), Galang Hendra Pratama (Semakin Di Depan Biblion Motoxracing), Mika Pérez (Scuderia Maranga Racing), Hugo De Cancellis (Team Trasimeno Yamaha) and Dorren Loureiro (Nutec – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki).

Here is the starting grid, with Groups A and B combined:

 

Verdoïa's feat

Andy Verdoïa left for the warm-up lap from the pit lane exit due to non-regulatory tire pressure. With an air temperature of 21° and the track temperature of 40°, the fastest to leave the grid at the start was Galang Hendra Pratama ahead of Mika Perez, Bruno Ieraci and Hugo de Cancellis, in the middle of 'a hustle.

Ana Carrasco fell without seriousness during the first lap.

Galang Hendra Pratama preceded Ieraci, Steeman, Sabatucci and Perez. De Cancellis was seventh, di Sora 21st, de la Vega 24th and Dore 31st.

Hendra was ahead 9 laps from the end of Ieraci, Verdoïa well back in third position, and Hugo De Cancellis. Verdoïa had gone from 37th place on the grid to 11th at the end of the first lap!

Verdoïa took command with 8 laps remaining alongside Hendra and Ieraci. De Cancellis was fourth, 1.1 ahead of Sabatucci. Di Sora was 13th, de la Vega 14th and Dore 30th.

Six laps from the checkered flag, de Cancellis took the lead ahead of Verdoïa, Ieraci, Sabatucci, Hendra, Steeman and Jahnig. The eighth König was at 6. De la Vega was 3.4th, di Sora 13th and Dore 18th.

De Cancellis fell when entering the chicane too quickly and Ieraci fell in the same incident. Sabatucci became leader ahead of Kalinin and Verdoïa. Hendra fell and took two pilots to the ground with him.

Finally, Kevin Sabatucci won ahead of Andy Verdoïa, Nick Kalinin and Victor Steeman. Samuel di Sora finished 11th, Enzo de la Vega 14th and Romain Dore 22nd.

Race Results:

In title and below: The podium with Eric de Seynes (Director of Yamaha Europe)

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

 

Above: Kevin Sabatucci. Below: Andy Verdoïa

Photos © worldsbk.com / Dorna, manufacturers and teams.