Stefano Manzi topped FIM Supersport World Championship Superpole qualifying Friday at Donington Park, in England. Riding his Pata Yamata Ten Kate Racing YZF-R9 on Pirelli control tires, Manzi lapped the 2.50-mile (4.02 km) course in 1:29.450 to top the field of 34 riders and earn pole position.
Can Oncu was the best of the rest with a 1:29.551 on his BLU CRU Evan Bros Yamaha YZF R9, and Jaume Masia earned the third and final spot on the front row with a lap time of 1:29.593 on his Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati Panigale V2.
Former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise of France was 6th with a 1:29.714 on his Renzi Corse Ducati Panigale V2.
Results WSSP SUPERPOLE
More from a press release issued by Dorna:
Manzi claims 2025’s first pole position after time attack battle with Oncu. Stefano Manzi will look to defend his Championship lead from the front of the grid after claiming pole on Friday at Donington.
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) was fastest on the timesheets in the opening FIM Supersport World Championship Tissot Superpole session of the Prosecco DOC UK Round. Despite leading much of the session, Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) was shuffled to second place, ahead of Spanish rookie Jaume Masia in P3(Orelac Racing VerdNatura), who continues to impress
Luca Ottaviani (PETRONAS MIE Honda Racing Team) and Yuki Okamoto (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) got their bikes tangled on the home straight at the session’s start, the pair taking a tumble which prompted a red flag with 36 minutes left in the session. Okamoto was later assessed at the medical centre and was taken to the Queen’s Nottingham Medical Centre Hospital with an initial diagnosis of a concussion, chest injury and collarbone injury.
Manzi At The Helm: The current Championship leader will start from P1 for the first time in over a year
Stefano Manzi earned his first pole of the season on Friday at Donington. Despite a strong performance from Can Oncu, the Italian took P1 on his 21st lap of 21 laps after time had expired on the session. The #62 outpaced the Turkish #61 by 0.101s via his 1’29.450s lap. Just over four hundredths of a second behind the Turk in P2, Jaume Masia earned a front-row start with his 1’29.593 time.
Casadei Undeterred: Despite slow early running, the Italian followed up on his Misano P2 with another strong Superpole result
Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing) battled his way up the timesheet late in the session, going from tenth to sixth to finish in fourth position on the day, his 1’29.621s lap the fastest of his 17 laps. Behind him, French pair Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA) and Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) punched their ticket to the second row thanks to their 1’29.658s and 1’29.714s laps.
Garci Showing Improvement: After P20 in Misano Superpole, Garcia improves to P9 at Donington
Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) will see lights out from the third row in his home round. The English rider finished P7 with a time of 1’29.734s. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team) will sit behind the Brit in P8. With a time of 1’29.738s, the German finished just four thousandths of a second behind. Roberto Garcia (GMT94-YAMAHA) earned P9 for third row in just his second round in WorldSSP. His time of 1’29.878s placed him ahead of Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in P10, who slipped inside the top 10 with his time of 1’29.921s.
The top six from the WorldSSP Superpole, full results here!
1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 1’29.450s
2. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.101s
3. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) +0.143s
4. Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +0.171s
5. Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) +0.208s
6. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.264s
Tune in tomorrow as race action uncorks at Donington for the WorldSBK Tissot Superpole at 11:00! (UTC +1) Tune in with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!