Occasional high winds were in evidence at the penultimate round of the championship, which was hosted by the hilltop venue of Motorland Aragon in Spain. Bright autumnal sunshine was also an almost ever-present characteristic at the 5.077km long track in the north of Spain.
On day one of track action, Friday 27 September, Loris Veneman ended up starting Race One from pole position after making a recovery from an earlier crash. He held off second place qualifier Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha) by 0.184 seconds. This was Veneman’s third Superpole win of the season, and the third of his career.
Daniel Mogeda (Team 109 Kawasaki) was the fourth fastest qualifier after Superpole, with the next bet Kawasaki rider at point being Carter Thompson (Füsport - RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki) in eighth position.
Race One proved to be an all-time classic of close competition and ever-changing fortunes. Most WorldSSP300 races are intense and feature close finishes, but the top six riders across the line in this epic contest were covered by just 0.169 seconds.
The top 15 riders - who all scored points of some value - were covered by only 2.397 seconds after 11 amazing laps of the long and wide 5.077km Motorland Aragon layout.
Iglesias Bravo led on three separate occasions in the uninterrupted opening race. The most importantly on the final lap when he won for the third time this season. He was victorious by a tiny 0.010 seconds from Kove rider Julio Garcia Gonzalez, with third place Veneman only 0.040 seconds behind at the flag.
Veneman played a very strong hand in the final lap, ensuring he would be in position to take third after passing some of his rivals around the outside in an audacious fashion.
Returning rider Thompson led on the penultimate lap and tried to make a break but he was overhauled and then almost swamped by his fellow competitors, fighting back on the final lap to finish a strong - if slightly disappointed - sixth.
Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza - Box77 Racing Kawasaki) was eighth in his first home race of the Aragon weekend, with Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) finally 11th in Race One and Mogeda 12th, making Daniel the last Kawasaki points scorer on Saturday.
Under new sporting rules for the 2024 season, the nine fastest riders in terms of their best single lap times set in Race One take over the top nine spots on the starting grid for Race Two. This meant that Osuna Saez was second on the Race Two grid, Thompson was fifth, Mogeda eighth and Gennai ninth. Veneman started tenth and Iglesias Bravo 15th.
The second race offered up another highly contested fight for the podium places, with the final margin of victory for Gennai being a mere 0.006 seconds.
The race was finally run under a short seven lap format, after the planned 11-lap race was started but interrupted by a red-flagged after a multiple-rider crash.
The restart was looking like it would be a frantic affair over a relatively short race distance, and it proved to be just that in reality.
A vast number of riders claimed a provisional podium place at some stage of the race or other, but on the final corner of the final lap it was a fight between championship leader Mahendra and Mirko Gennai. Originally his rival’s name was at the top of the on-screen classification but quickly Gennai’s name moved to the top as he was awarded the win.
Gennai’s victory ensured that Kawasaki would win the Manufacturers’ Championship for the sixth time. On a personal note for Mirko, he joined two other riders in taking seven career race wins in this category, making him the equal second most successful rider in WorldSSP300 in terms of full race wins.
Behind Gennai, Osuna Saez would secure his first podium of the season, in third place, in front of his home crowd in Spain.
Of great importance for the Riders’ Championship battle, with just one round to go before the finale in Jerez, Veneman secured fifth place in Race Two. He remains second in the championship, and top Kawasaki Ninja 400 rider, although he is an increased 16 points behind the overall leader, Mahendra.
With a full 50 points left for any rider who wins both Jerez races, there is still all to play for in this most unpredictable of FIM World Championship racing classes.
Thompson looked like he could win the second race but such is the ferocity of overtaking manoeuvres and the endless slipstreaming possibilities on super-wide back and main straights that he ended up tenth in the final race. He was still only 0.529 seconds behind the race winner Gennai.
The final two Kawasaki points scorers in Race Two were Bruno Ieraci (Team ProDina Kawasaki) in 13th and new rider from the UK, Sullivan Mounsey (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR Kawasaki) in 14th.
After his Race One win on Saturday Iglesias Bravo had an up and down second race before moving into the top few places. He was penalised for irresponsible riding, after crossing over the inside white line on the main straight and getting too close to the teams’ pit-boards as he overtook other riders. He had to serve not one but two long lap penalties.
Inigo lost so much ground to the leaders as a result of his extended laps that he would finish only 18th, scoring no more points at Motorland after his Race One 25. He, alongside Mahendra and Veneman, is the last of the riders in with a chance of the Riders’ Championship title. Inigo is a fairly significant 32 points behind Mahendra after Motorland.
In the championshiop points, after seven of eight rounds, Mahendra has 195, Veneman 179, Iglesias Bravo 163 and Gennai 131.
As previously mentioned, Kawasaki’s lead of 72 points over Yamaha at this stage of the season has already given Kawasaki its sixth Manufacturers’ World Championship, no matter what happens in the final weekend
In the Teams’ Championshiop, MTM Kawasaki (with riders Veneman and Gennai) has a strong 34 point lead over BR Corse Yamaha.
The next round of the FIM Supersport WorldSSP300 championship - will be the last for the 2024 season. WorldSSP will not join the other WorldSBK paddock classes at the Estoril round. The WorldSSP grand finale - which is it is shaping up to be - will take place at the Circuito de Jerez - Angel Nieto, in Spain, between 18-20 October.
Rider Comments
Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), stated: “Superpole was really incredible. I crashed on the out lap, and I saw the bike was pretty destroyed. Even though it was smashed I could ride back to pitlane, put on new leathers, have only two flying laps and still take pole position. Incredible. It was a good race on Saturday. My start was perfect so I could go into the first corner in first place and I could keep it like that almost for the whole first lap - I think. In the end I had a few problems with running wide or dangerous overtakes, so sometimes I fell back and had to catch the group again. In the end I still finished in P3 and overtook some riders on the outside on the last corners, so I was happy with that. It was really really close racing, but it was fun.”
Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki), stated: “Saturday was a very bad race result. I planned all race to be inside the leading group on the last lap, and I did this into the first turn of the final lap. But then - three times - another rider touched me and I lost, I dunno, eight positions. It was very bad because we found in Race One the perfect bike set-up. A fantastic second race but it was difficult in seven laps to make a strategy but in the last lap I tried to get into the lead and push 110%. The margin of victory was very small but I knew it was my race as I crossed the line. This a a trophy I did not have in my house - a victory trophy from Motorland Aragon - so I am very happy.”
Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Füsport - RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki), stated: “I was keen to arrive here again on the top step of the podium after a few rounds with a bit of bad luck. Anyway, here I am again. The first race was crazy, as they always are in WorldSSP300. I always wanted to ride in the top positions and I felt the help of my team-mate Carter. He was with me helping to fight with the other guys. I needed to win this race at home as all my people from home came here, so I just pushed on the last lap to make sure I got this victory. It is special to win here. Many people came here from my home and this is the best feeling I have had.”
Carter Thompson (Füsport - RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki), stated: “I was hoping for more in Race One. I did not plan the last lap in the best way. Overall, it was a pretty good first race to be able to stay at the font and keep pushing the pace. I am still happy because we made a big step compared to Friday.”
Jose Manuel Osuna Saez (Deza - Box77 Racing Kawasaki), stated: “Race Two was very difficult because it was so hot on the track and because of that the tyre had little grip on the faster corners. I train a lot on bikes without good grip, away from the races and I think maybe that’s why I finally got the podium. In the other races I couldn’t reach the podium because of bad luck or other little things. But I am happy to be on the podium, and very happy to do it at Aragon, with all the Spanish fans. I am also happy for my team.”
Steve Guttridge, Race Planning Manager, Kawasaki Motors Europe, said: “Kawasaki is understandably proud to have added to our existing Championship success in WorldSSP300 by achieving the manufacturer title honour once more in 2024. This is now our sixth success as a brand from eight attempts, but the real credit has to go our teams and their riders delivering such consistently strong results on the Ninja 400. With no less than four riders sharing the top step of the podium so far in 2024, this Championship provides real excitement and – being part of the WorldSBK paddock – creates a great ladder of opportunity for aspiring riders. For now, we will celebrate… and tomorrow we make plans for further manufacturer titles!”
#NinjaSpirit