Nicolò Bulega is the new World Supersport champion. The victory in the first Portimão race this Saturday allowed the rider who has dominated the season to seal the title with still three races to go.
Despite starting from pole position, Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) had a slow start and was overtaken by Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). However, he quickly regained the lead in the first corner. In the early laps, Manzi managed to put pressure on his rival, but on the fourth lap, he was passed by Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team/Ducati).
Once in second place, Montella kept up with Bulega and even set a new lap record, but on the seventh lap, he was forced to retire due to a technical issue with his bike. Bulega then had a more comfortable lead, with Manzi more than a second behind. Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) climbed to third place.
The top three positions remained unchanged until the end. Bulega crossed the finish line with a 2.637s gap over Manzi, who managed to distance himself from Navarro after a few laps of pressure. Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta) finished fourth, winning a hard-fought battle against Valentin Debise (GMT94 Yamaha) and Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing/Ducati).
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