Hannes Soomer (Kallio Racing, Yamaha) rode his best Superpole result of the season in Misano, Italy, in Round 3 of the FIM Supersport World Championships, but had to retire from Race 1.

The Superpole went well, said Soomer. He made an almost clean lap and rode the fifth-best time - with the third to fifth qualifying results fitting into two-thousandths of seconds.

Soomer, who started from the second row, made a good start, but in the first sector, he was caught in a bad position and fell to P8. Since the leaders were all in a tight group, there was no need to worry. "The plan was to take it calmly in the beginning and let the mouse run into my mouth, so to speak," said Soomer.

However, after passing Öttl on lap 4, Soomer made a mistake at the beginning of braking in turn 4, the momentum and pressure on the front tire were too great and the bike slipped on the gravel. "A stupid little mistake in a corner where it's easy to come," said a frustrated Soomer. "I had to retire because the handlebar was too bent."

"The positive thing is that the bike behaved exactly as we expected. We will not change anything for tomorrow, we will only repair minor things like replacing the fairings,” he hopes for a better result in the second race. Today's race was won by the Swiss Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).

Race 2 of the World SSP takes place on Sunday at 12:25 Estonian time. News, results and broadcasts at www.worldsbk.com

After today, Soomer holds P7 in the World SSP with 41 points.

Photos Václav Duška Jr.