There was plenty of action across Race 1 at the Estoril Round for the WorldSSP Championship as Andrea Locatelli claimed victory at the Estoril Circuit in a Red Flagged and restarted race in Portugal, with the second part of the race reduced to 12 laps.
The race was Red Flagged on Lap 3 when Peter Sebestyen (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) crashed at Turn 13, the final corner at the Circuito Estoril, spraying gravel onto the track.
The Red Flag was shown in order to give marshals a chance to clear the stones from the tarmac, with the new grid set by positions at the last timing point before the Red Flag was deployed.
The restarted race started dramatically when Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) collided at Turn 2 on Lap 1; with de Rosa retiring from the race on the spot while Mahias was able to return to the pitlane with his Kawasaki machine. It meant Locatelli was able to move clear at the front of the field to take victory; his 12th of the season after 14 races in 2020.
Italian rider Locatelli was joined on the podium by Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) as the German continued his impressive rookie season with his fourth podium of the season and his best result of 2020, having finished third on three occasions, while Estonian Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing) took his third podium of the season and his third in a row.
There was a titanic four-way battle for fourth place that was won by Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing), finishing 1.5s clear of South African rider Steven Odendaal (EAB Ten Kate Racing). Odendaal fended off the challenge of Turkish star Can Öncü (Turkish Racing Team) and Manuel Gonzalez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team); 2019 WorldSSP300 Champion Gonzalez finishing just 0.007s behind Öncü as they crossed the line.
Axel Bassani (Soradis Yamaha Motoxracing) finished in eighth place as the highest-placed WorldSSP Challenge rider as he looks to snatch the title away from Kevin Manfredi (Altogoo Racing Team); the Italian down in 14th place. Jules Cluzel’s (GMT94 Yamaha) return from injury culminated in points with ninth place, finishing ahead of teammate Corentin Perolari who completed the top ten.
Danny Webb (WRP Wepol Racing) battled from the back of the grid in the restarted race after crashing at Turn 3 in the first part to finish in 11th place, holding off Hikari Okubo (Dynavolt Honda) who came home in 12th.
Federico Fuligni (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Manfredi and Andy Verdoïa (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) completed the points in Race 1; with Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (bLU cRU WorldSSP by MS Racing) just missing out on points with 16th place.
Glenn van Straalen (MPM Routz Racing Team) finished in 17th place with Patrick Hoblesberger (Dynavolt Honda) and Vincent Falcone (OXXO Yamaha Team Toth) the last of the classified runners.
Alejandro Ruiz Carranza (EMPERADOR Racing Team), De Rosa, Mahias and Victor Alexandre Da Silva Barros (Palkalgar Yamaha – Evan Bros), the first Angolan rider in WorldSSP, did not finish the race.