Chris leaves Cremona with the lap record after another front running weekend in Italy!
Chris Clark once again showed he is one of the leading contenders in the 2026 Yamaha R3 BLU CRU World Cup in the penultimate round of the series at the Cremona Circuit in Italy – the American still in the hunt for the title despite a spill in race two yesterday.
Fastest on Friday morning, Chris was unlucky in Superpole after his fastest lap – which would have easily put him on the second row of the grid – was disallowed for a yellow flag after one of his rivals fell.
Starting race one tenth, the #5 made one of his customary quick starts and was soon in the battle for the win. The usual multi rider fight ensued with Chris missing the podium by less than a quarter of a second at the end of an intense eleven lap race. He finished fifth, but with the fastest lap, which meant pole position for Sunday’s second encounter.
A reduced race distance of ten laps on Sunday following an on-track incident in the World Supersport warm up session meant everyone was in the mood to go quick from lights out, including Chris who executed his start perfectly. Leading at turn one he opened a several bike lead in the opening three corners before crashing, thankfully without injury at turn four.
Understandably disappointed and angry at himself, Chris heads to the final round at Estoril in Portugal with the outright circuit record at Cremona and his head high.
Chris Clark: “My plan for race one was to use my P10 on the grid to my advantage. I made my way into the top five pretty quickly but then it was difficult with all the passing back and forth. I knew leading was not the right place to be, so it was all about strategy. I was on the left side of the track as we approached the final three corners, and I got squeezed but held my nerve and just missed the podium. I was ahead of my title rivals so all in all it was positive. However, it was a tough way to finish the weekend with the crash on the first lap. I made such a great start and felt so good, but the track was dirty and on the first right hander I lost the front after building a few bike lengths lead. I was pushing but sometimes these things happen. Overall, it was another positive weekend and a big improvement on where I was this time last year. I am already focused on Estoril where I will give my all to end the year on top. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me it means a lot!”
The post Yamaha R3 BLU CRU: American Clark Sets Cremona Lap Record appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
