After a double victory in Aragon (round 1 of the 2021 World Supersport Championship which took place on 22-23 May), Steven Odendaal and Evan Bros. Racing Team continued their winning streak in Estoril last weekend, where they scored a third consecutive win in a dramatic first race on Saturday. Starting from the front row of the grid for the first time in his World Supersport career, Odendaal was on his way to clinch yet another win or a second position in the second race on Sunday, where he was only 0.1 seconds behind the race leader Dominique Aegerter when he was forced to retire due to a technical issue at the start of the final lap of the race. Odendaal was nevertheless able to maintain his championship lead with a 6-point advantage over Aegerter in second, heading into round 3 of the championship, which will take place in Misano (San Marino) on 12-13 June.

Steven Odendaal (1st position, DNF): “Going into the weekend after a double win, my goal was to qualify on the first two rows of the grid and finish on the podium in both races. I knew that this circuit would be a bit more challenging for my injured shoulder. The team and I worked really hard to give me the best possible feeling on the bike and we qualified on the front row. Both races saw some incredible battles because, same as last year, the times were very close this weekend and there were many riders who were able to stay with the leading group. I made a move on Philipp Oettl on the last lap of the first race to win the third race of the season. I knew that Sunday’s race would be very similar with many riders fighting for podium positions and I tried to manage my race and stay calm. I was in second going into the final lap and was studying Dominique Aegerter’s lines to make the move once again on the last lap. Unfortunately, my bike then stopped working and I had to pull over to make sure the bike was not leaking oil. We lost important points, as we were a few corners away from another win or a second position, but this is racing and the fact that we were in the front, fighting for the victory once again is more important at this stage of the championship. I would like to say huge thanks to the whole team for all their hard work and for giving me the package I needed to fight for the win in both races.”