Cluzel takes World Supersport title fight to final round

Full World Supersport race results from Argentina

Jules Cluzel has closed to six points off World Supersport championship leader Sandro Cortese thanks to victory for the NRT Yamaha rider in Argentina.

The French rider has backed up his Magny-Cours triumph with his fifth win of the season to continue his late-season surge aiming to reel in Cortese at the final round in Qatar.

Cluzel fought back against the fast-starting Lucas Mahias to re-take the lead on the opening lap while points leader Cortese dropped down the field in a tricky start, as Federico Caricasulo was knocked off his GRT Yamaha by Corentin Perolari at Turn 2.

Cluzel initially maintained a slim gap on Mahias over the opening laps before looking to push at the mid-race stage. The NRT Yamaha rider’s pace increase triggered Cortese into action who passed Mahias for second place on lap 14 at the end of the back straight as he aimed to reel in his title rival.

But Cluzel held on at the chequered flag by just two-tenths of a second to become the first-ever World Supersport winner at Circuito San Juan Villicum in Argentina to close the gap to Cortese to six points ahead of the final round.

With Mahias having to settle for third place it sees his title defence mathematically over, while NRT Yamaha’s Thomas Gradinger secured the best result of his career in fourth place.

Perolari held off Randy Krummancher in a final-corner fight to take fifth place on the GMT94 Yamaha ahead of the Bardahl Evan Bros Yamaha rider.

Kyle Smith led the non-Yamaha charge in seventh place for CIA Landlords Insurance Honda, over 16 seconds off the race winner, but comfortably ahead of Puccetti Kawasaki’s Hikari Okubo.

Hector Barbera held on to ninth place on the second Puccetti Kawasaki despite being investigated for exceeding track limits midway through the race as Loris Cresson rounded out the top ten for Kallio Racing Yamaha.

Ayrton Badovini led the MV Agusta charge with team-mate Raffaele De Rosa forced out of the race with a mechanical issue on lap five.

Luke Stapleford grabbed 12^th place for Profile Racing Yamaha ahead of Hannes Soomer (Racedays Honda), with Christian Stange (Team GoEleven Kawasaki) and Peter Sebestyen (CIA Landlords Insurance Honda) rounding out the points places.