FIM World Supersport season 2021 has started
FIM World Supersport Championship’s season 2021 started last weekend in Spain, at the Aragon Circuit. The first race weekend was challenging and surprising. The practises and the qualification didn't go quite perfectly, and the first race got underway with a bit of mixed emotions. Estonian Hannes Soomer started the races from the 7th position on the grid, and Finnish Vertti Takala started from the 20th position on the grid.
Saturday's race was by no means an easy one. Hannes Soomer battled for places behind the top group, and to the finish he raced in 7th position. Unfortunately, Vertti Takala's race fell short on Saturday following a crash on the second lap.
Sunday started rainy, and the race's tyre selection became interesting. The team and riders ended up choosing intermediate tyres. At the start of the race those who had chosen the rain tyres were riding on top and for a moment it looked like they would get away from the others. However, as the race progressed, drier ruts formed on the track, so intermediate tyres were a successful choice after all.
Hannes Soomer raced towards the end of the race in place 5—6, and in the final laps he reached the top riders. The last two laps were really exciting, and the standings varied. At the finish Soomer rode nicely in the 4th position.
”Hannes narrowly missed out on the podium spot this time, but still rode a really great race. The final result of the race was tight, as Hannes only missed 0.3 seconds of the winner. He can be really happy with Sunday's race and the points in the first weekend that took him to 4th place in World Championship points. From this, it's good to continue to Estoril, where Hannes rode for the podium last year,” says Vesa Kallio, Team Manager at Kallio Racing.
Vertti Takala also ran a brilliant race on Sunday. Start was good, and he immediately rose to 14th position, ending the race nicely being 8th. “Vertti mastered his nerves and changes in circumstances well and made a good climb in the race to the eight position. That's awesome! It was important to get a good result from the first race weekend, now it's easier to go to Estoril,” Vesa Kallio says.
Hannes Soomer:
“It was overall a good start to the season. We finished both races with some good points and are fighting in the top. We have some clear things we have to improve to make it easier for me to fight for the win but overall, I’m satisfied. Now we go to Estoril where we have a good base from last year and the goal is to continue to improve. Thanks to the whole team for a good job and on to Portugal!”
Vertti Takala:
“First race weekend is now behind, and Sunday ended with good vibes. The start of the weekend was a little bit difficult, because due to my injury there were not many laps underneath on this bike. In practises and qualification, however, my lap time improved all the time, but yet it was a bit behind the others. The first race took off normally, but on the second lap I made a minor mistake and there was a slight problem with the brakes, so the race ended with a crash. Sunday's warm-up had wet conditions and it didn't go too well, but by the time of the race the track was already a bit drier, although it was still pretty damp. I went into the race with intermediate tyres, and they cooled down a bit after the first two laps. It was hard to get the heat back to the right side of the tyre, but once it succeeded, the race went just fine. In the final lap, I managed to overtake quite a few bikes and eventually I was eighth. I'm happy with the weekend and from this it's good to continue to Estoril next weekend. Thanks to the team for their good work, they worked hard for the whole weekend and after the crashes put the bike back in shape quickly. Thanks to the sponsors for enabling this and to people at home thank you for the big support of yours!”
The World Supersport season 2021s second race will be raced in Portugal, on the Estoril Circuit from 28 to 30 May 2021.
Race results
Saturday:
https://resources.worldsbk.com/files/results/2021/ARA/SSP/001/CLA/Results.pdf?version=3f254ea62985e67d70d5751fd79112ed&_ga=2.4517686.426734113.1621688428-682451930.1621688428
Sunday:
https://resources.worldsbk.com/files/results/2021/ARA/SSP/002/CLA/Results.pdf?version=3f254ea62985e67d70d5751fd79112ed&_ga=2.103992197.426734113.1621688428-682451930.1621688428
Championship standings:
https://resources.worldsbk.com/files/results/2021/ARA/SSP/002/STD/ChampionshipStandings.pdf?version=67e649219847fb6e7ff3ae98ae3ca54c&_ga=2.103992197.426734113.1621688428-682451930.1621688428
