Pleased with Oettl’s sixth podium and Oncu’s continuing growth

We’ve had a positive weekend here at Most. Yesterday we achieved our sixth podium of the season with Oettl and once again saw real signs of improvement from Oncu, who even led the race for a few laps. This confirms both his growth and that of the team, and we’re ahead of the timeframe we’d set ourselves. We need to continue on this path, because one of the aims we set ourselves at the start of the season was to help develop this young talent. Today’s race was more difficult than yesterday’s, but we nevertheless came close to another podium with Oettl, who holds third in the championship standings. We are optimistic ahead of the next Navarra round, the track is new for everyone and we hope to have Lucas Mahias back with us in Superbike, as he continues to recover from his wrist injury”.

Oettl on the WorldSSP podium at Most! Oncu eighth.

Dry, sunny but cool conditions at the Most Circuit in the Czech Republic, the stage for round five of the Supersport World Championship. In yesterday’s free practice, the two Kawasaki Puccetti Racing riders, Philipp Oettl (1’36”413) and Can Oncu (1’36”672), finished in seventh and eleventh place respectively. This morning it was time for the Superpole, the session that establishes the starting grid for the weekend’s two WorldSSP races. Once again, Oettl proved that he is a top rider in this category, scoring third place with a time of 1’35”409. Oncu made significant improvement and finished ninth with a best of 1’35”821.
With these results, Oettl lined up on the front row and Oncu from the third for the afternoon’s 19-lap race.
Both Kawasaki Puccetti Racing riders were quick off the line. Oettl moved into the lead, while Oncu followed close behind in third place. Over the subsequent laps, the Turkish rider took over out front, followed by his German team-mate. On lap six Oncu came into contact with another rider and was forced wide, which caused him to drop to sixth, while Oettl continued in second place. With seven laps to go, the race was brought to a premature end when the red flag came out following a crash. At that moment, Oettl was lying third and Oncu eighth and so these were their final positions. Two results that do not reflect the riders’ performance or potential in this race.
By finishing third, Oettl nevertheless scored his sixth podium of the season. He lies third in the standings with 124 points, while Oncu is eighth with 51.
Tomorrow the team will return to the Most track for the weekend’s second and final race.
.

“I started very well but after some contact with other riders I lost some positions. I had good grip and the bike was working well. I had caught the group again but then the red flag came out when I was only eighth. We just needed to be a bit more lucky today. We are close to the podium with our race pace and we will try again tomorrow”.
.

“We did a good job this morning to finish in third place in qualifying but it was really hard. In the beginning of the race I had a fight with my team-mate. When Odendaal passed us he had really good pace. Towards the end Gonzalez also came past on an SC0 tyre choice but I was sure today was a good day to finish a little bit higher up. To win is always something different but today the package was good. I changed my riding style this weekend and it helped me with grip, so I am happy to deliver the team another podium. We also took away really valuable points for the championship.”
.

Oettl just misses the podium and Oncu ninth in WorldSSP race 2 at Most

The fifth round of the Supersport World Championship has concluded today at the Autodrom Most. Yesterday saw Kawasaki Puccetti Racing celebrate its sixth podium of the season as Philipp Oettl crossed the line third in race 1. Luck was not on Oncu’s side as the rider had been leading the race at one point but was eighth when the red flag came out and brought the race to a premature end.
Today, in windy yet sunny conditions, Manuel Puccetti’s riders were out for the warm-up, in which they refined the set-up of their ZX-6R bikes before preparing for the second race of the weekend, the tenth of the season, which got underway later in the morning.
On the back of the Superpole results, Oettl once again lined up on the first row and Oncu from the third. The German made a very fast start and was already up into second through the first laps. Oncu also got away well, and was part of the leading group, lying around seventh. At around the mid-race point, Oettl was still up at the front, in fourth place, while his team-mate was in eighth, in the chasing group. In the final laps, the German rider held fourth to the line, while the Turk lost one position to finish ninth.
In the championship standings, Oettl lies third with 137 points, while Oncu is ninth with 58 points.
The next Supersport World Championship round will take place on 20-22 August at the Navarra circuit in Spain.
.

“The race was fast and we did not do as well as yesterday. I think we did not choose the correct tyre option today. I also agreed with my guys that the SC0 was a good choice before the race, but now I think maybe the SCX may have worked better. But for me this has been a positive weekend and I think we can learn many things again. I also think we can do much better in Navarra but for now we will go home and start again. I look forward to doing a good job next time”.
.

“That was not an easy race but I had a fantastic start once again and I felt good on the bike. We chose an SCX rear tyre again. The feeling was not so bad but the others were just one step ahead today. I was really working on the bike with my body position and I felt I could make some improvements with that, so I will try this again next time in Navarra. I think this was a positive weekend because I could do a little bit better with the softer SCX tyre. I am happy to be third in the championship and we should continue make steady progress. Consistent finishes are the most important thing to make because there are some strong riders in this championship. I tried my very best today but sometimes it is the maximum result to finish fourth.”
.

Kawasaki Puccetti Racing
Via Bonvicini 25
Reggio Emilia, RE 42122
Italy