Jaume Masia topped FIM Supersport World Championship Superpole qualifying Friday at Misano Circuit Sic58, in Spain. Riding his Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati Panigale V2 on Pirelli control tires, Masia lapped the 2.61-mile (4.22 km) course in 1:37.119 to top the field of 34 riders and earn pole position.
Mattia Casadei was the best of the rest with a 1:37.287 on his Motozoo ME air Racing MV Agusta F3 800 RR, and Bo Bendsneyder earned the third and final spot on the front row with a lap time of 1:37.353 on his MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR.
Former MotoAmerica Supersport regular Valentin Debise was 6th with a 1:37.540 on his Renzi Corse Ducati Panigale V2.
Results WSSP Superpole qualifying
More from a press release issued by Dorna:
Masia takes career first WorldSSP pole as Manzi falls to 4th row in Misano’s opening Superpole. Rookie Jaume Masia started his Misano mission off strong by earning his first WorldSSP pole as Manzi tumbles down the order after his lowside spill.
The FIM Supersport World Championship field popped the cork on Friday’s Tissot Superpole action at a balmy Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Taking pole position, Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was the fastest after the 45 minutes, followed on the timesheet by Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing) and Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in P3.
Jaume Masia laid down the fastest lap of the session of 1’37.119s to claim his first pole in a World Championship since the 2023 Moto3 Malaysia Grand Prix. The Spanish rider claimed P1 midway through the session and held on thanks to his strength through the difficult third sector of the track. Thanks to a late run with just over three minutes left in the session, Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME Air Racing) punched his front-row ticket for the first time in his short WorldSSP career so far in just his first Superpole session since rejoining the grid. Bo Bendsneyder landed on the front row for the first time since Assen on the back of his 1’37.353s lap, a positive turn in form for the Dutchman.
UPS AND DOWNS: Schroetter continues improved form, Oncu misses front row
Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing), with his 1’37.395s lap, meant he missed the front row by just four hundredths of a second behind Bendsneyder. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) snagged a second-row spot through his 1’37.513s lap, finishing as top Yamaha on the session. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) righted the ship after spending much of the running in the bottom half of the timesheet; his late 1’37.540s lap earned him P6.
COSTLY MISTAKE: Manzi lowsides at his home round, slipping down the timesheet to P10
Federico Caricasulo (D34G WorldSSP Racing Team) looked comfortable in his new leathers, sitting at P2 for stretches of the session before he and his 1’37.588s lap fell to P7. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) earned P8 as he pipped Filippo Farioli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and his 1’37.661s lap by just two hundredths of a second. Rounding out the top ten was Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing), missing the third row by a mere 0.014s. The #62 came to grief on Turn 16 in the latter half of the session, his bike sliding out from under him on a lap that would have been a personal best for the Championship leader.
SUPERPOLE STUMBLES: Misano’s Superpole crashers
Roberto Garcia (GMT94-YAMAHA) took a spill on Turn 8 after his 7th lap. He was able to return later. Luke Power (Motozoo ME Air Racing) crashed for the second time of the day on Turn 14, however, he was quickly back on his bike and back on the track. Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) crashed on Turn 16, hampering an otherwise forgettable session for the Indonesian youngster. In the last seconds of the session, Lucas Mahias (GMT94-YAMAHA), who was already languishing down in P15, saw his final lap end in the gravel after a Turn 15 spill, Yuki Okamoto (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) crashing shortly after Mahias was back on track on Turn 14.
The top six from the WorldSSP Superpole, full results here!
1. Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 1’37.119s
2. Mattia Casadei (Motozoo ME air Racing) +0.168s
3. Bo Bendsneyder (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +0.234s
4. Marcel Schroetter (WRP Racing) +0.276s
5. Can Oncu (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) +0.394s
6. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse) +0.421s
Tune in tomorrow as race action uncorks at Misano for Race 1 at 12:35! (UTC +2) Tune in with theWorldSBK VideoPass! Now 30% off!