in the second WorldSBK race
Sunday afternoon.
"I am just happy to be fight
-
ing in the top five, and that was
our goal before the weekend
started," Gerloff said after
Saturday's racing. "Accomplish
-
ing that goal is really nice, and
it lets me breathe a little for the
two races tomorrow. I hope this
top five result helps. Yesterday I
had a good lap in FP2, but today
I was sixth in Superpole qualify-
ing and then fourth in the race,
which is where we know the bike
and I are at the moment. I think
the bike setting was working
well at Balaton Park last time out
and also here in Most, so we are
just making small adjustments
to keep moving forward. We are
doing it, so I am happy."
At the end of the weekend,
Gerloff added, "In the Superpole
race, everybody used the SCO
tire, so everybody had good grip
in the beginning and for most of
the race. I feel like I was not able
to use the tire as much as the
Ducatis that were around me. I
feel like when we all have less
grip, then I have an advantage.
Race two was a good, clean race
with Alberto Surra, but some
-
times I was like, 'Just let me do a
couple of laps ahead of you, and
we could maybe go forward!' I
was just happy to cross the line
at the front of the group. I felt
good."
In the WorldSBK Champion
-
ship, Bulega has a commanding
lead with 310 points, followed by
Lecuona on 215 points. Montella
is third on 121.
WorldSSP
Can Oncu (Pata Yamaha Ten
Kate Racing) squeezed his way
to the Superpole win, his second
of the 2026 season. He would
leave with no race wins this year
yet, but more on that later.
Valentin Debise (ZXMoto Fac
-
tory Evan Bros Racing) had been
relegated to row two for riding
slowly on the racing line, but in
the race, he came through the
mass of Yamahas and occasion
-
al Ducatis to win his and the new
Chinese WorldSSP force ZXMo-
to's fourth race of the 820RR's
rookie season. There would also
be a fifth, as it happens.
Oncu finished six-tenths of a
second behind in second place,
with Albert Arenas (AS Racing
Yamaha) third, just ahead of
Jaume Masia (Orelac Racing
VerdNatura).
Race two was a slice of cham
-
pionship psychodrama, with an
early crash for Arenas—Masia
touched him on a right-hander.
It had to be contact between
the championship's early "big
two," not just two random riders,
didn't it? The tongues wagged in
some quarters, but Masia was
soon handed a long-lap penalty
for irresponsible riding. He later
crashed out on his own.
Debise capitalized after a
brilliant fight at times with Oncu,
as WorldSSP provided another
cosmopolitan and fully commit
-
ted weekend.
Tom Booth-Amos (Triumph
Factory Racing) could have fin-
ished third but crashed near the
end, just like Mahias.
Oli Bayliss (Team PTR Tri-
umph Factory Racing) won a late
fight with Aldi Satya Mahendra
(AS Racing Yamaha) and Matteo
Ferrari (WRP Racing Ducati) to
take third, after it looked like he
was headed for fifth.
In the championship, the top
positions tightened, with Arenas
on 166 points, new second-place
rider Debise on 147, and Masia
third with 130. With Oncu on 128
VOLUME ISSUE MAY , P57
American Garrett Gerloff had a
breakout ride, finishing in the top six
in all three races.
