PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda rider Kaito Toba has completed the first of the weekend’s WorldSSP races at Portugal’s Estoril Circuit in nineteenth position, while a lap 2 crash unfortunately prevented substitute rider Luca Ottaviani from crossing the line.

A brief morning warm up gave Toba and Ottaviani a last chance to make setup adjustments ahead of the race. Having missed Friday’s practice, Luca in particular was keen to make the most of this short session and build confidence with the CBR600RR.

Race 1 ran according to schedule and in dry conditions in the early afternoon. From row eight, Toba made a clean start, lying twenty-sixth one lap into this 18-lapper. Part of a small group of three or four riders, Kaito worked hard to gain six positions through the central phase of the race. Into the top twenty with six laps to go, Toba battled hard with Antonelli in the final stages before ultimately concluding P19. In a tightly packed field, the Japanese rider closed just 20 seconds from the front. Ottaviani made a rapid start from row ten of the grid, making up a couple of positions through the first turns. Unfortunately, it was not his day, the Italian crashing at Turn 7 on only the second lap of the race. Unhurt, Luca will have another opportunity to show what he can do in Sunday’s Race 2.

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will be back in action for Sunday’s final Supersport race.

Kaito Toba #27

“We did the warmup on used tyres, and although the bike was sliding a lot, it was good information ahead of the race, to manage the tyre drop. As for the race, overall my rhythm was consistent and allowed me to stay in the group that went all the way up to the points zone. But it was a struggle to overtake riders in front of me. I just focused on my pace and did my best lap after lap.”

Luca Ottaviani #12

“After this morning’s warm-up I felt a lot more comfortable on the bike. Thanks to the team’s hard work, we were able to set up the bike to suit me. It was just a pity for the crash on lap two of the race. I was there with my teammate when the front just closed on me all of a sudden. I’m sorry as I really wanted to complete the race, but I’ll do my best to make up for this in tomorrow’s Race 2.”