Supersport Balaton: Arenas takes maiden pole, Ferrari secures front-row start

Albert Arenas celebrates his first career pole in Supersport in Hungary: in Race 1 he can launch an assault on the World lead, taking advantage of Jaume Masia’s misfortune, as he will start from 26th on the grid. Matteo Ferrari (in the opening photo) sailed at the front for a long time in qualifying and, in the final flurry, grabbed third place, which means a front row start for Race 1.

At thirty years old and with a long Grand Prix career, highlighted by the Moto3 World Championship title, Albert Arenas is tipped as the favorite for the title in the feeder series. The bike is there, namely the same Yamaha R9 that dominated last season with Stefano Manzi in the all-Yamaha duel with Can Oncu. Conversely, it was a rough day for Jaume Masia. The Ducati rider crashed at the start of Superpole: the rider was unhurt, but the Panigale V2 was extensively damaged, making it impossible to send him back out. Result: a start from the back of the field which, on this tight and slow rollercoaster, will force him into a hellish comeback.

There was plenty of Italy in this qualifying. Matteo Ferrari seems perfectly at home among the Hungarian chicanes, which he already sampled last year with the electric Ducati in MotoE. The chance to repeat the podium he already celebrated at Phillip Island is real. A fine Supersport showing also for Filippo Farioli, with the VFT Yamaha. He leads Frenchman Valentin Debise, protégé of the Chinese ZXMoto, who looks less sharp on the twisty layout than on previous occasions. The rider, however, is a bulldog; the race is his favorite battleground. With the Asian triple, Federico Caricasulo is also starting to get the hang of it: ninth time, which means the third row.

Here in Hungary, Phillip Oettl has fallen back into line after his Race 2 win in the Netherlands, his first World Championship triumph. Only tenth for the German, behind even Jeremy Alcoba on the Kawasaki 636, who is trying to climb out of limbo. A tumble and 13th at the flag is a meager haul for Oliver Bayliss, Troy’s son: even though he’s only 23, he’s starting to become a veteran of this class, but the results his dad would hope for still haven’t materialized. It’s tough doing the same sport when your parent is a legend...

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