In order to best prepare for the second race of the Supersport World Championship, after the first which took place on March 1st at Phillip Island, the two Kawasaki Puccetti Racing riders Lucas Mahias et Philipp Ottl raced last weekend in the Italian Championship at the World Circuit Misano Marco Simoncelli.
A former world champion and winner of two races last year on his Kawasaki, Mahias took advantage of his recent runs at the Italian CIV championship round at the Misano circuit, winning two races to prepare himself to face the World Supersport.
As Lucas was competing as a wildcard, preparing for the upcoming restart of the interrupted WorldSSP championship season, he was not credited with points or a podium ceremony for his CIV Misano victories last weekend, despite crossing the finish line first in every race.
Frenchman Mahias, World Champion in 2017, has won seven victories during his career, and a total of 21 podiums in the WSBK intermediate category. In the first round at Phillip Island in early March, Lucas placed fifth.
Mahias' new teammate Philipp Öttl was also present in Misano for the CIV. He duly reached the top six places each time in Italy. After qualifying sixth in Australia from the first round, Philipp failed to score any points in the race itself, making him particularly excited about securing two strong results in Jerez.
Öttl knows the 4,423 km long circuit well having experienced numerous races there in the Grand Prix paddock, and tested his Kawasaki there before the start of the 2020 season.
For a change from the usual race weekend, the WorldSSP600 class will have not one but two full 17-lap races, one on Saturday August 1 and one on Sunday August 2. This initiative was taken in order to ensure a sufficient number of races to conclude the full season after losing several scheduled rounds due to the recent pandemic.
After Jerez, the entire WorldSBK paddock will head northwest to Portugal, with two more WorldSSP races on the schedule for the Portimão round weekend, which takes place August 7-9.
According to Lucas Mahias, “The two CIV races at Misano helped me get back into racing rhythm, but I can't wait to get back on my bike and race at Jerez, a circuit I enjoy. »
“I'm happy that we're back in the World Championship and my only worry is that it's going to be very hot. »
“I watched the MotoGP race that took place on the same track a few days ago and looking at the faces of the riders, I realize that it’s going to be tough. »
According to Philipp Ottl, “I know the Jerez circuit very well and I am happy to race there again. After the CIV races in Misano, I feel ready to return to the World Championship and work with my team to find good sensations with my Ninja ZX-6R as soon as possible. »
“We're going to do two races in two days, but we did the same thing at the CIV so I'm not worried. What worries me more is the heat we will have in Spain, but we are all in the same boat and so I will give everything, as always, to achieve the best possible result. »
Photos (from Phillip Island) © Kawasaki
