Manzi dominates Imola with double win, closing in on Bulega’s lead

Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) secured a double win at Imola. Starting from the third position on the grid, Manzi closed the gap to early race leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).

He eventually overtook Bulega and extended his lead to over seven seconds by the end of the race.

The battle for third place saw Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) claim his fourth podium finish in the WorldSSP class. He held his position comfortably, securing an all-Italian podium alongside Manzi and Bulega.

Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) achieved his best result in WorldSSP, finishing in fourth place, while Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) claimed fifth place, his best result in the 2023 season. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) engaged in a thrilling battle for sixth place, with Navarro ultimately securing the position.

With his double win, Manzi closed the gap to Bulega in the Championship standings. The gap between them has now narrowed to 41 points.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +7.188s
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +9.804s
4. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) +15.370s
5. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) +17.370s
6. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +17.636s

WorldSSP Championship standings
1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 283 points
2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 242 points
3. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 184 pointsP1 | Stefano Manzi | Ten Kate Racing Yamaha
“It was an amazing weekend starting from Friday morning. To win this race was very important because winning with such a gap, I wasn’t able to achieve it yesterday. My first back-to-back win, here in Italy in front of my home crowd. It’s amazing! I’m really happy. In the first few laps, I felt more the difference of power between the bikes. The other bikes are more powerful than mine, and when we have the full tank, we’re missing a bit compared to Ducati. Then I felt better and I pushed more. The Championship isn’t over yet. We’ll try our best, and when we’re able to have weekends like this, it’s always amazing.”