WSBK SSP Aragón Race 1: Victory for Odendaal, Cluzel on the ground!

The South African driver was able to take advantage of the accident involving Jules Cluzel and Niki Tuuli to achieve his first success in Supersport.

After the first race of the Superbike season, it was the turn of Supersport to attend its first event. The reigning world champion in the category, Andrea Locatelli, as well as his dolphin Lucas Mahias, both left to join Superbike this year, the sovereignty of the category therefore remains to be taken.

French Jules Cluzel was best placed to achieve this objective, the Montluçonnais author of his 22nd Superpole this morning and determined to take possession of the vacant leadership position.

Race wasted for Cluzel

But fate is sometimes cruel, as the Yamaha rider was able to observe, victim of a collision with Niki Tuuli even though he had led the first two thirds of the race. Cluzel in fact remained in the lead when the lights went out, ahead of Philipp Ottl et Dominique Aegerter.

 

 

Tuuli was unable to say the same, the Finn falling three positions at the start, before beginning his comeback to take second place with Cluzel in his sights. Clearly faster at this point in the race, Tuuli was undoubtedly too greedy when braking at turn 12, on the ninth lap, hooking the Frenchman's rear wheel, sending both competitors to the carpet.

An accident which then opened the way for Öttl and Aegerter, who did not ask for so much. The two men engaged in a big battle for leadership, with the Helvetian finally gaining the upper hand over the German.

Odendaal surprises everyone

But the last laps were to the advantage of a third driver, the South African Steven Odendaal, who interfered between his two opponents two loops from the goal. Öttl and Odendaal thus exchanged positions several times, with great aspiration and heavy braking, so that the outcome of the race remained undecided until the end.

 

 

But it was ultimately Odendaal who had the last word, he who had never been on the podium in the category until now. Aegerter therefore finished second and Öttl third, while fourth place went to Luca Bernardi and the fifth to Manuel Gonzalez.

In sixth place, we find Federico Caricasulo, which is ahead Hannes Soomer et Christopher Bergman. Raffaele de Rosa et Can Öncü complete the top 10.

 

Results Race 1 – Supersport – Aragón:

Credit classification and photos: WorldSBK.com