Yari Montella (3rd): “I wasn’t expecting the Lowes brothers!”

For Yari Montella, third place was once again the best he could manage in Race 1 of the Superbike event at Donington. At the front, the two Ducati factory riders battled it out for victory, as they have so often this season. But this time, Iker Lecuona emerged as the winner for the first time. Montella crossed the finish line in third place, 6.711 seconds behind Lecuona.

Montella had to work hard for his podium finish. After the start, he was overtaken by the two Lowes brothers after just a few corners. The Italian then had to fight his way back up the field. It was only towards the end of the first third of the race that Montella overtook Ducati rider Sam Lowes. After that, the 26-year-old held on to third place.

“It was a long race,” sighed the Barni Ducati rider during the post-race press conference. “I hadn’t expected the Lowes brothers. They got off to a fantastic start. First Sam overtook me, then Alex, and I lost a few positions. Then I started to build my race up. In the middle of the race, when I had a clear track, I was faster. Today we would have had the chance to be a bit closer to the top two.”

In the overall standings, Montella consolidated his third place. Has he now realised that he is the third-fastest Superbike rider in the world? “Yes, I have. But I’m focusing on being even faster,” he explained. “I have goals, and one of them is to have a race where I can battle with the top two. I’m not focused on winning, but I want to try and keep up with them. Ultimately, that’s what we’re working towards. In every session and at every race weekend, I want to improve myself, the bike and my riding style. Sure, I’m third in the Superbike World Championship. But we’re riders, and we can only really enjoy it when we win. I’m proud of the podium, and if someone had told me at the start of the year that I’d be third in the World Championship with nine podium finishes at Donington, I’d have told them to get lost. But here we are at Donington, and I always get good results here. I’m proud of the work we’re doing. On the other hand, though, I, Barni, my crew chief, my electronics guys and my mechanics all have a goal in mind that we’re working towards.”

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Donington Park: Der Sonntag

FIM Superbike World Championship

12.07.2026 - 11:55