MANZI SEALS R9 DOUBLE IN CREMONA THRILLER FOR TEN KATE RACING, OKAMOTO HITS WORLDSSP POINTS

Stefano Manzi won the first World Supersport race at the Cremona Circuit on Saturday afternoon. The Italian was under heavy pressure from the competition all the way to the finish, but by defending the lead well, he secured his second win of the season. Yuki Okamoto achieved his best result so far with a sixteenth-place finish.

Under sunny and warm conditions, the first World Supersport race got underway at 15:15h on Saturday afternoon at the Cremona Circuit. Starting from third on the grid, Stefano Manzi made a strong start and had taken the lead by halfway through the opening lap. He then had to give it up again but reclaimed the top position in the twelfth lap.

Manzi maintained a strong pace but was unable to shake off his rivals. In the final stages of the race, he faced several attacks but managed to respond each time. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line first and secured his second win of the season, his twelfth in the World Supersport class. Manzi has now achieved sixteen consecutive podium finishes (since Race 2 in Magny-Cours, 2024), equaling the record set by Kenan Sofuoglu. With 150 points to his name, Manzi has now extended his lead in the championship to 30 points.

Yuki Okamoto also had a good start, moving into the top twenty from 22nd on the grid. As the race progressed, the Japanese rider continued to make up ground and eventually finished sixteenth – his best result so far in the World Supersport class.

Stefano Manzi (P1):

“This victory feels amazing. It was not an easy race because we had a big fight with the group in front. In the beginning of the race I thought my pace was better than the rest, but I couldn’t maintain it so I had to battle with the group behind me. Fortunately I was able to win that battle and stay in front, so I could finally take another win again. However, we have to stay focused because tomorrow there’s another race. We need to remain constant.”

Yuki Okamoto (P16 / +28,194):

“I have been struggling a bit this weekend, but in this first race we finished in 16th place. I will try to improve for tomorrow and do my very best again in Race 2. I want to thank the team and I am grateful for their work. Let’s see if we can get a bit further forward.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing Team Manager:

“What a fantastic victory for Stefano here in his home race, he fought like a lion. We knew his race pace was excellent; our strengths are mainly in the twisty sections, while we lose some time on the long straight. We’ll have to see if we can do something about that for tomorrow’s race. In any case, it was amazing how he took control of this race. We know we’re always a bit stronger towards the end of the race – we’ve developed the bike with that in mind together with Stefano.

Yuki also had a very good day and came very close to scoring points. He had to start from far back and set his fastest lap in the sixteenth lap. That shows he still needs a bit more rhythm and experience on European circuits – we’ll be working hard on that. The more mileage he gets, the better he understands the machine. We’re confident we can make him faster tomorrow.”

Stefano Manzi claimed victory once again in the second World Supersport race on Sunday afternoon at the Cremona Circuit in Italy. The Italian rider was heavily challenged by the competition again, but just like in Race 1, he proved to be the strongest. This marked his third win of the season and his first double victory of the year, which also happens to be the first double win for the new Yamaha R9. Yuki Okamoto scored his first World Supersport points by finishing in fourteenth place.

It was another warm Sunday afternoon for Race 2 of the World Supersport class at the Cremona Circuit. Starting from second on the grid, Manzi got off to a strong start and immediately grabbed the lead. However, he soon had to relinquish it and began his pursuit of the front again. In the closing stages of the race, Manzi demonstrated just how strong both he and the R9 can be, retaking the lead with three laps to go. Despite multiple attacks from his rivals, the two-time WorldSSP runner-up crossed the line first once again.

This victory marked Manzi’s third win of the season, maintaining his 100% podium record in 2025. It is his thirteenth career win in the World Supersport category and his twelfth with Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing. It was also the third time in his career he has taken a double win in a WorldSSP race weekend—and the first double for the new Yamaha YZF-R9. With 17 consecutive podium finishes in the World Supersport class, Manzi has now etched a new record in the history books.

Okamoto also had a strong start, moving up from 22nd on the grid to 19th right away. The Japanese rider showed solid pace throughout the race and continued to make progress as the laps went on. In the final stages, he had to battle for position but ultimately crossed the line in fourteenth. It is his best result so far and earns him his first two points in the World Championship.

Stefano Manzi (P1):

“I feel amazing, because it’s difficult to be very happy after Race 1 with this schedule as you’re still focused on Race 2. Now I’m very happy and clearly it has been an amazing weekend for me. Taking a double win at home and achieving the first double with the R9 is just fantastic. It was a very demanding race again today, but in the end I was able to take the win again. In the final part of the race I was just thinking about the victory, and I know the final corner was a spot where I could attack. It paid off so I’m quite happy about it. Hopefully we can continue this momentum into Most.”

Yuki Okamoto (P14 / +23,263):

“I finished in 14th place and finally I scored some points. After the two crashes on Friday, this feels like a very positive result. I really appreciate the team’s hard work and I am very grateful to everyone who’s supporting me. I will give it my all again during the next round in Most.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing Team Manager:

“It has been a fantastic weekend for the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team here in Cremona, with two victories for Stefano and Yuki scoring his first points in Race 2. I think everyone brought out the best in each other. Yuki improved in every session despite his two crashes on Friday. He recovered well, which shows he has great character. We know he is new to Europe and that his competitors have much more experience, but he is proving that he’s made of real racing spirit.

Stefano was razor-sharp again today and gave everything to take the win. He rode with great control, so hats off to him. This has been the best weekend we’ve had with him in the past three seasons, so full credit to him and the people on his side of the garage. Overall, we can be very happy with the points we scored, which puts us in the lead of both the riders’ and teams’ championships. It was a perfect weekend for us.”