Two weeks on from the dramatic Pirelli Dutch Round, the FIM Supersport World Championship heads south west to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the 2023 Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, the fourth round of 2023’s season. At a circuit that has thrown up plenty of surprises in its short presence on the calendar, with weather impacting races, will there be more shocks to come in the fourth Catalunya Round? With only one repeat winner at the circuit, and no previous winners on the grid, who will grab the land of opportunity this time around?
A YAMAHA CIRCUIT… SO FAR: will Yamaha’s Barcelona run come to an end?
Yamaha have won every race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya since it joined the calendar. In 2020, Andy Verdoia taking a shock victory in Race 1 in wet conditions to become the youngest ever winner in the class, Andrea Locatelli winning Race 2 to become Champion, Randy Krummenacher’s and Manuel Gonzalez’s last career wins in 2021 and Dominique Aegerter doing the double last season. In 2023, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) leads the way with four wins from six races while Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) has one and Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who won’t be in Barcelona, has also won a race. With no Yamaha victories so far this year heading into a track where they’ve enjoyed so much success, could their Barcelona fortress conquered, or will offer a retreat and act as a turning point in the 2023 campaign?
THE NEXT TARGET: from the podium to a win
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) is second in the Championship standings and top Yamaha; he’ll be hoping to claim Yamaha’s first win of 2023. He has a best finish of third at the circuit, from last year when on the Triumph, and he knows the circuit well from his time in the MotoGP™ paddock. Three manufacturers are in the top three of the Championship with Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) third and, after his first WorldSSP podium last time out at Assen, will be looking for his first win of the year. With four top-eight finishes in his last five races at the circuit in Moto2™, it’s a circuit he knows well and will be aiming to convert this into his first WorldSSP victory.
LOOKING TO SPRING A SURPRISE: never say never in Barcelona
Whilst the wins have been shared between Ducati and Kawasaki so far this season, five of the six manufacturers on the grid have stood on the rostrum. Dynavolt Triumph have a podium finish courtesy of Niki Tuuli’s third place in Race 1 at Mandalika and he was again in the top five at Assen. With a podium already to his name at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in 2021 with MV Agusta, could he help Triumph to a first win of 2023?
Honda will be looking to score big points again as the only manufacturer yet to score a podium this season with riders Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE HONDA Team) and teammate Adam Norrodin, while Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was strong here last year and took fifth place in Race 1. He’s also a race winner here in WorldSSP300 from 2021, so the Turkish youngster will be full of confidence heading into the Catalunya Round despite a crash from the podium battle last time out at Assen. After a wretched start to his season with just an eighth-place finish to his name, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) will aim to return to the fore this weekend – although he’ll serve a double Long Lap Penalty in Race 1.
HOME HEROES: will Navarro or Huertas shine in Catalunya?
There are two full-time Spanish riders on the 2023 WorldSSP grid and both are looking for strong results on home soil. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) has had a tough start to his WorldSSP career after making the switch from Moto2™ and suffering from injuries at the end of that season. However, Catalunya is a circuit he’s gone well at in both Moto3™ and Moto2™; winning the 2016 Moto3™ Catalan Grand Prix and taking third in Moto2™ three years later. Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) made his return from injury at Assen and was back in the top ten in Race 2 with eighth place and he will have high hopes for the Catalunya Round although he is yet to stand on the podium in Barcelona; his best result is fourth in WorldSSP300 in 2021.
WILDCARDS AND RIDER LINE-UP CHANGES: news ahead of the Catalunya Round
There will be a few changes to the grid in Barcelona with wildcards and replacement riders coming in. Swiss rider Baris Sahin, who made his debut in Catalunya in 2021 and was a replacement rider in Argentina last year but did not race following a highside in FP2, will wildcard in Barcelona with the MDR Offitec Yamaha squad. Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was declared unfit following the crash at Assen with Montella, as was Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) following a Free Practice 1 crash. The Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team will field two bikes in Barcelona, with full-time rider Andrea Mantovani joined by one event rider Adrian Fernandez Gonzalez.
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Source: WorldSBK.com