Tom Booth-Amos Ignites Triumph Street Triple 765 Top-three Fight with Estoril Sixth

Tom Booth-Amos bounced back from a small crash in Saturday's opening race in Estoril to secure a strong sixth in the penultimate round of the FIM Supersport World Championship today, igniting a final-round decider for the Triumph Street Triple 765's top-three Championship fight. PTR Triumph Factory Racing Teammate Oli Bayliss battled to the very end, claiming two points-paying finishes in Portugal.

Heading into the weekend lying third in the standings, Booth-Amos got underway at the 2.5-mile circuit, working through the motions in opening practice before Superpole commenced. A fastest lap of 1:40.283 was good enough to secure a top ten start for the Triumph rider, with Bayliss lining up 12th for the opening race of the weekend.

Getting going in glorious conditions, Booth-Amos got his head down from the off, holding position in the opening few corners. From there, he began to gradually pick off his rivals, first passing Marcel Schrotter before catapulting himself up to seventh on lap nine.

However, as the leading six battled ahead, Booth-Amos’ attempts to close the 1.3-second gap ahead would prove a step too far as he pushed a fraction beyond his limits, resulting in a crash at turn six, which ended his chances of a points finish on Saturday. Remounting, unhurt, aboard his machine, he crossed the line to finish 23rd.

Oli Bayliss enjoyed better fortunes in the weekend’s first race. The Australian youngster didn’t have the best of starts, slipping back to 16th on the first lap, but quickly found his pace. Battling back into the points, he took 12th place on lap ten, but his race looked to have been run with a three-second gap ahead, eventually crossing the line in 13th.

With a reset for Sunday and an eighth-place starting position, it was gloves off for Booth-Amos, who launched his 765 triple into the opening corner in a bid to reclaim third in the overall standings. Holding firm inside the top ten, he immediately got his elbows out and muscled his way ahead of Lucas Mahias before launching an attack on Alberto Surra into the chicane, but as the pair changed direction, small contact forced him to relinquish the fight, slipping back to ninth in the process.

Keeping his cool, he began to up his pace, briefly clocking the fastest lap on his charge back towards the top six. With his title rival in sight, he pushed on, only to see Jaume Masia retiring from the race on lap ten which would move him back inside the World Championship top three. From there, Booth-Amos didn’t look back, passing Can Öncü before capitalising on another competitor's misfortune to ultimately cross the line in a solid sixth position.

On the other side of the garage, it was more points success for Oli Bayliss, who, despite dropping outside the points positions early on, battled to the end to secure a fine 12th at the chequered flag, bagging more points for his Championship quest.

The Supersport World Championship reaches its conclusion next weekend (17-19 October) at Circuito de Jerez, with Tom Booth-Amos and Bayliss heading to the Spanish venue third and 13th in the standings.

Tom Booth-Amos - PTR Triumph Factory Racing #69

Race 1: DNF | Race 2: 6th

“Overall not a bad race to come away with sixth, got lucky a few guys breaking down but that was the best I could do this weekend. We’ve got third back in the championship which is the most important thing. Now I'm looking forward to Jerez.”

Oli Bayliss - PTR Triumph Factory Racing #32

Race 1: 13th | Race 2: 12th

“A slow first couple of laps made our race very tough today. We made a big change to the bike and I felt a lot better opening the gas. We kept a consistent fast pace all throughout the race. I struggled to pass a few people but in the end we finished not in the best position, but we had the pace to battle for the top five. Two more chances in Jerez. Thanks to my team for all the work and my sponsors.”

RESULTS - WORLD SUPERSPORT ROUND 11, ESTORIL

Race 1:

1. Valentin Debise (Renzi Corse)

2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)

3. Can Öncü (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team)

13. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing)

DNF. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing)

Race 2:

1.Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)

2. Philipp Oettl (Feel Racing WorldSSP Team)

3. Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team)

6. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph Factory Racing)

12. Oli Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Stefano Manzi (425 points)

2. Can Öncü (343 points)

3. Tom Booth-Amos (233 points)

4. Jaume Masia (227 points)

13. Oli Bayliss (86 points)