Stefano Manzi Takes Pole at Donington Park

Stefano Manzi secures pole position at Donington Park for the WorldSSP opener, edging out Can Öncü in a tight Yamaha-dominated Superpole session.

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The 2025 FIM Supersport World Championship weekend at Donington Park opened in spectacular fashion as Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) stormed to pole position under the clear British skies, marking his first qualifying triumph since Assen 2024.

In a thrilling Superpole session, Manzi delivered a stunning late flying lap of 1’29.450, narrowly edging out fellow Yamaha R9 rider Can Öncü (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) by just 0.1 seconds. The pole-setting lap capped off a confident day for Manzi and the Ten Kate crew, as they bounced back from a difficult round in Misano.

Öncü, who has steadily grown into a serious podium contender this season, delivered an equally impressive performance. He locked in the front row and set the stage for a fiercely contested Race 1.

French veteran Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha), who led the way in Free Practice 1, carried his early pace into Superpole to secure fifth on the grid with a best effort of 1’29.658. It was a strong showing from the 2017 WorldSSP Champion, who continues to display consistency and racecraft in the stacked Yamaha-dominated field.

Rookie sensation Roberto Garcia (GMT94 Racing) also turned heads with a commendable ninth-place finish in his first-ever outing at Donington Park, while Indonesian hopeful Aldi Satya Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Racing) will start 18th after a challenging qualifying run.

An early red flag disrupted the session after Yuki Okamoto (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) suffered a serious incident.

The reigning Japanese Superbike Champion suffered a concussion, chest trauma, and a fractured collarbone, and was promptly transferred to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre for further treatment. His withdrawal casts a sombre tone over what was otherwise a highly competitive opening day.

With Warm Up scheduled for 09:50 and Race 1 set to ignite at 13:35, all eyes will be on Manzi as he aims to convert his pole into victory at one of the most historic circuits on the calendar.