#IDNWorldSBK Mandalika: De Rosa takes maiden WorldSSP victory in rain-hit Race 1

The drama throughout the 19-lap FIM Supersport World Championship was relentless at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Race 1 for the Pirelli Indonesian Round as Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) claimed victory in a rain-impacted opening race. The rain started to fall just before the race started before getting harder in the opening stages, with riders who opted to stay out on slick tyres benefitting as the rain eased after a short period.

The rain started to fall in the opening four laps of the race, with the race lead being held by numerous riders looked to take control of the race. At around the halfway stage, De Rosa was able to break away at the front of the field in search of his maiden victory, with the Italian rider claiming his first WorldSSP victory at the 89th time of asking.

De Rosa withstood pressure from 2021 Champion Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in the final two laps of the race as he held on to claim Kawasaki’s 45th WorldSSP win and end a streak of 21 Yamaha victories stretching back to Estoril 2020, when Lucas Mahias claimed victory. De Rosa’s victory means he becomes the third-oldest rider to claim their maiden WorldSSP victory, at 34 years, 7 months and 26 days old. He is also the first Italian to win on a Kawasaki in WorldSSP.

Federico Caricasulo (VFT Racing) claimed the first podium for VFT Racing in his debut race for the team, his third of the 2021 season. He had led the race in the opening stages, including on the first lap as he overtook Aegerter at Turn 10, but fell back to third as Aegerter found some late-race pace. Podiums for Aegerter and Caricasulo mean Yamaha have now claimed 50 podiums in the 2021 season.