Matt Winstanley secured the first ever Grand Prix win for a British rider at
the Supermoto World Championship final in the port town of Piraeus in Greece
on the weekend having gone tantalisingly close to a double victory but for a
fall in the last few laps of the second race.
The weekend started well for the Wigan rider as he squeezed into the
shoot-out for Superpole setting the fourth quickest time in qualifying. He
then went on to a stunning Superpole victory against the established names
of Ivan Lazzarini, Marcel Goetz and Gerald Delepine.
Pumped up for the first Grand Prix race held in sunny but cold conditions
overlooking the Mediterranean sea Winstanley made a flying start grabbing
the lead on the first lap. Unchallenged for the duration of the race he took
the chequered flag by just under two seconds from nearest rival Ales Hlad
and Marcel Goetz.
Speaking after race one an elated Winstanley said he was on a roll and
looking for a repeat in race two.
"The weekend so far has gone extremely well. I managed to sneak into the
Superpole and then put down the quickest time which was great. To then back
that up with the race win and be the first Brit rider to win a GP is a
fantastic result for the team and KTM. My challenge will be to go out and do
the same in the second race."
Winstanley made another superb start in the second race taking the holeshot
and the early lead. On the fourth lap though the race was red flagged and
stopped.
On the re-start he once again leaped to the front keeping the rest of the
field at bay until he fell on the fourteenth lap. Unable to re-start he
subsequently did not finish, relegating him to eighth overall on the day.
Winstanley said he had mixed feelings about the weekend and the season.
"It all came together this weekend and I was on target for that second win.
Unfortunately I had a relatively minor fall and couldn't get the bike going
again. It's disappointing in some respects but great to notch up that first
win and help KTM take the Manufacturers title. I can't wait now for the 2007
British and World Supermoto Championships to get underway."
Matt Winstanley has already won the British SM1 and SM2 titles and finished
9th in the S1 World Supermoto Championship. He will be contesting both the
2007 British and World Supermoto Championships with further details on next
season's campaign expected to be announced shortly.
