Supersport Misano: Can Oncu roars to pole, but the Chinese bike drops back

Can Oncu roars back. The Turkish rider had recently seemed in the shadows, but at Misano he signs the Superpole and can plan an all-out Race 1 to get a World Championship campaign back on track after a decidedly uphill start.

For Can Oncu, this is the seventh pole of his career, the third this year. On the front row he’ll have alongside him his two most formidable rivals. The closest rides the same Yamaha R9, albeit run by a different team: that’s Albert Arenas, the former Moto2 rider who, midway through the season, firmly leads the World Championship standings. Consistent, fast, experienced: a very dangerous competitor. In third spot is Valentin Debise, the Frenchman who, with the debutant ZXMoto, has already racked up three wins. He didn’t shine at the previous Albacete round, but on the Adriatic shore the 820RR has found its sparkle again. Watch out for the Chinese dragon.

At the halfway mark, Arenas leads the World Championship by 43 points over Debise and 69 over Oncu. The closest pursuer is Jaume Masia, who, however, had a troubled qualifying and will be forced to start from the third row, tenth fastest. The former Moto3 world champion is lightning quick, but he often pays for starting positions that make it harder to contain Arenas—already a tough mission in itself. Between the four riders most fancied for the final victory, there’s a tight pack of hungry challengers chasing glory, at least for once. That’s the case for the Ducati trio of Phillip Oettl, Matteo Ferrari, and Alessandro Zaccone. The German left his mark at Assen, while Zac is coming off a triumph in Race 1 at Motorland Aragon. That happened just two weeks ago; the MotoE world champion is charged up, and the Panigale V2 here also poses a serious threat to Yamaha and ZXMoto.

The WRP team rider has been quick from the start: he kicked things off with a podium at Phillip Island and returned to it at Aragon. To brighten the path even more, a win is needed. Misano is his home, therefore the ideal ground for ambushes. Supersport this year is entertaining us every time. In this wild bunch there’s no foregone result: go for it, guys!

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