A win and a second in Czechia for Luke Power
A win and a second in the WorldSSP Challenge were the order of the day for Luke Power in the latest round of the FIM World Supersport Championship held at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic this past weekend.
A steady start for the Motozoo ME AIR MV Agusta rider in Free Practice on Friday was followed by his best dry weather qualifying performance of the season in Superpole. Following a pre-formulated plan, the #68 laid down a banker lap before improving twice more on his ‘push’ laps.
Saturday’s opening nineteen lap encounter was intense with Luke gaining several places off the start to move into contention for world championship points immediately. A small mistake relegated him to the back of the field before a gutsy hard charging recovery ride saw him take his second win of the year in the WorldSSP Challenge. He crossed the line P16.
Sunday’s race was held in the hottest conditions of the year. After another lightning start Luke was soon in the fight for world championship points and as the race progressed a potential top twelve finish overall was on the cards. Maintaining top ten pace Luke was running comfortably in thirteenth and second overall in the WorldSSP Challenge. Banging bars with former world championship race winners he took the flag sixteenth, comfortably hanging on to second in the challenge.
It is safe to say that #CzechWorldSBK was the best dry weather weekend for Luke who will attend the British MotoGP event at Silverstone in support of the Two Wheels for Life charity before heading to Portimao in Portugal for the next round of the Supersport World Championship.
Luke Power:
“I am really happy with the weekend in Most. I took a bit of time to adjust to figure out getting the best out of the bike at this track but slowly we got there. We worked hard to improve my qualifying which we did, and whilst it wasn’t the best I could have done it certainly wasn’t my worst, so I was confident for both races. I made some big steps in the first race but unfortunately, I made a couple of small mistakes on lap two when I was battling for fourteenth and dropped right to the back of the field. I fought hard and was able to make my way back to the group battling for points, taking the win in the WorldSSP Challenge. Sunday, I made another big step with my riding, and it was possibly the best race of my career. I was inside the points for pretty much the whole race, chasing and fighting with riders who have won races and have a lot more experience at this level than I do. It was such a positive weekend, and it gives me a lot of confidence for the remaining rounds. The next round is at Portimao, a track I really like, and I think it will suit our bike. I want to thank my Motozoo ME AIR team for all their hard work and belief in me, and to the fans for the support at the track. See you all in a couple of weeks.”