Lucca Allen’s first weekend competing stateside is in the books, the talented British teenager overcoming the discomfort from a recurring shoulder injury, inclement weather in addition to limited testing and the fact he had never raced on Dunlop tyres to score points in only second race in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship.
Working closely with his new team – CW Moto – Allen took it all in his stride, improving in every session before ensuring his place on the grid for the opening races of the season at Barber Motorsports Park.
A Saturday race retirement, due to an old injury, only motivated Lucca further and with rain falling overnight what can only be described as a heroic Sunday followed.
Taking full advantage of the wet weather, Lucca made another incredible start in Race Two, passing several riders into turn one, before steadily improving lap by lap to move into contention for the points.
Lapping considerably faster than those behind he was soon running inside the top fifteen, crossing the line to finish fourteenth after a challenging race in more ways than one. By doing so Lucca becomes the first full time British rider to score MotoAmerica Supersport points and becomes the youngest full time European rider to achieve points on their debut weekend in the series.
The #311 will now return to the UK where he will undergo extensive physio in preparation for round two of the 2025 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship which takes place at Road Atlanta in a couple of weeks.
Lucca Allen:
“FP1 was all about getting used to the bike and the track and for me to try riding on Dunlop tyres for the first time. It was a big learning curve as we went directly into the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon which was something also new for me and something I will need to get my head around as the season goes on. I improved my lap times a lot from Free Practice and then on Saturday morning in Q2 I made another big step. Unfortunately, during second qualifying my shoulder started to play up and I had to go to medical to get it checked. I tried to ride in race one, but it was just too much strain on my shoulder, and I retired the bike rather than risk a crash. I had damaged the shoulder in a previous crash in the UK and so I was a bit frustrated that it flared up again. There’s a lot of work to do rehabilitation wise when I get home but the team and I have already made a plan to ensure I am fully fit for Atlanta. Race two on Sunday was wet after a torrential downpour through the night. We did everything we could trackside with the medical team and with Ethan (the team’s physio) and I was able to ride. I started P25 on the grid and made it into the points, crossing the line P14 in what was my first time riding the bike in the rain and riding on Dunlop tyres in the rain. To score points in my first ever MotoAmerica race feels so good, even more so given the circumstances and I owe Chris and Sara at CW Moto a huge thank you. The work they put in was incredible. They really are second to none and I am so proud that I get to race my first season in the USA with them. I want to also thank my sponsors, my family and my manager for making this season possible Let’s go again at Round 2 in Atlanta in a couple of weeks.”
