Italy’s Emiliano Ercolani took a spectacular victory in Race 1 on home turf at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, while Aldi Satya Mahendra took a first ever win for Indonesia in the R3 bLU cRU European Championship in a thrilling Race 2.

The opening race of the day saw Mahendra take the holeshot, leading the field of 21 riders into the first corners of the Italian circuit. Before the race could settle into a rhythm there was a dramatic crash between Mert Konuk, Christian Stringhetti and Apostolos Kamzelis. All three riders emerged uninjured but Konuk would have to serve a double long lap penalty in Race 2 for his part in the incident. After this the riders broke into two groups, but the action remained intense.

Mahendra and Ercolani swopped places countless times, but they also had to watch out for the advances of Krittapat Keankum, pole-sitter Kevin Fontainha and Marc Vich. With the home crowd on his side, Ercolani displayed his usual impressive determination to keep returning to the head of the pack. The Italian finished victorious in front of his adoring fan club, increasing his title lead in the process. Keankum took second, and Mahendra third.

Saturday afternoon brought scorching track temperatures, providing perfect grip for the 10-lap dash of Race 2. Mahendra shot to the front once again, but he found himself heading an enormous lead group of 12 riders for the entire race. More than five riders had a go at hitting the front as the freight train spread across the track. Brazil’s Gustavo Manzo was ready to take the fight to Mahendra, but the huge battle culminated in the Indonesian holding firm and becoming the first rider from his country to win in R3, following in the footsteps of his brother, Galang Hendra Pratama who is a double winner in the WorldSSP300 class. Vich, fresh from his experience at the Master Camp displayed impressive skills to finish second, while Ercolani got a solid third.

Brazilian star Eduardo Burr was unlucky to suffer a mechanical issue which ruled him out of contention in the second race. Greek wildcard rider Kamzelis unfortunately crashed out of both races.

View the results of Race 1 here and Race 2 here.

After winning Race 1, Ercolani said: “I’m very happy to win here in front of my fans and my family, their support has been a fantastic motivation for me. The race was difficult with so many fast riders, but I really wanted to win at home, and I’ve achieved that! I live in Misano Adriatico, so this is a true home race, it feels amazing!”

Aldi Satya Mahendra said after his Race 2 victory: “I feel so happy, it’s a really great feeling to get my first win in the R3 bLU cRU European Championship in only my first season, and I’m also the first rider from Indonesia to do it. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped me to get here: my team, my sponsors, my family and especially my brother”.

Source: WorldSBK.com

There was plenty of action in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” as Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) battled it out for fifth place. The pair were separated by just a few tenths at the end of the race as they scrapped it out, with Rea able to hold on ahead of the rookie to deny him a top-five finish.

The pair were barely separable throughout the 20-lap race as Aegerter searched for a way through on the six-time Champion although he was unable to make a move. On the penultimate lap, Aegerter tried to force his way through at Turn 14 but he ran wide and allowed Rea back through with the cutback. On the final lap, Aegerter tried again to pass Rea, this time into Turn 8, but Rea was wise to his attack and once again cut back to maintain position. At this point, Aegerter dropped a few tenths back from Rea and although he closed the gap, was unable to make a pass.

Reflecting on their battle, Rea said: “It was a great fight at the end, we swapped positions a few times at the end. Of course, it’s not the battle you want to be in during the last laps, but I put everything in to try to take the maximum points. My race from the beginning was quite strong and I felt I was there with Toprak and the private Ducatis. I was focusing on them, trying to be there, but they broke me, and I was on my own with Dominique 0.1 all race. I just had to focus on myself and I started to nurse the bike in the areas I was struggling in. I tried to anticipate where he was going to pass as well because the gap was that small, I knew he was going to attack at some point. Luckily enough, I was able to be clean enough to make the cutbacks each time he came through. I knew if I could lead onto the middle straight from Turn 6 to 8, if I can brake on my limit and get the bike stopped… he can steaming past and I thought ‘oooh, good luck… if he could get that stop, he deserves it!’. It was the move that just made that last lap a bit more comfortable.”

Aegerter was able to use the opportunity to learn from someone who has six World Championships to their name as well as 118 race wins and 249 podiums but he was disappointed not to come out on top against Rea, despite it being only his fifth round in WorldSBK. He said: “I think we started well. The race was long and hot, and I didn’t know what to expect exactly with these conditions with the tyres, because I crashed on Friday when I wanted to do the long run. I learnt a lot when I was behind Jonny. He knows how to defend well and manage the tyres. I was trying to overtake him a few times, but I was also on the limit. I went wide. The battle was quite nice but, of course, he won the battle which I didn’t like so much!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

It was a fine opening race of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” for Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), with the #21 Italian shining in second position. Having achieved a front row for the first time at Misano, Rinaldi’s second place makes it back-to-back podiums and sees him climb to sixth in the overall Championship standings.

It was a lightning start by Rinaldi, who had to battle with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in the opening sector. Razgatlioglu tried to get around the outside at Turn 4 but Rinaldi was resilient and held position and despite Toprak’s attempts, Rinaldi eventually broke away. Initially holding a strong pace that saw him around one second behind teammate Alvaro Bautista, Rinaldi settled into the race and held onto second until he crossed the line. 

Speaking about his race and the pace he showed, it came as a surprise for Rinaldi: “I’m very happy for myself and for the team because it was a 1-2 and that’s always great! I’m really happy about my kind of performance, I didn’t expect to have this kind of race pace, but I was able to lap quickly. I couldn’t explain how Alvaro was doing his pace, he was riding absolutely unbelievably, so he deserves the win. I’m happy about what we’ve done; compared to last year and in 2021 when I won, I’m seven or eight tenths faster per lap so I’m really happy about this. For sure, I’ll try and win sooner or later. I’m really happy about this result.”

Rinaldi has had an up-and-down 2023 campaign so far with four podiums to his name in five rounds while he also had two retirements and three finishes outside the top ten. Two of these came at the TT Circuit Assen where he endured the toughest weekend of the season, finishing the races in 15^th, 13^th and 10^th place across the two race days. Rinaldi, who has gone well at Misano in the past, discussed whether his pace today helped give him confidence heading into Sunday and a busy July in WorldSBK.

He said: “In Catalunya, we were able to finish on the podium and, with our pace in Race 1, we were able to make a podium. I got a bit unlucky. For sure, in the Netherlands, we faced problems and to be back on the podium helps.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

It was a historic FIM Supersport World Championship Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) extended his Championship lead with victory on home soil despite dropping back at the start of the race. He led an all-Italian podium at Misano as he claimed victory by almost two seconds for his sixth win of 2023 and his seventh podium in nine races.

HOME HEROES ON THE PODIUM: Bulega leads all-Italian rostrum

Bulega had a poor start as the lights went out and initially lost out to Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) and Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) and he was then demoted to fourth when Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) came through on the Championship leader. However, in the next few laps, Bulega was able to re-take the lead before he started to pull out a gap on his rivals.

By the end of Lap 7, he had a gap of 1.7s as he looked to take his first WorldSSP victory in Italy and he was duly able to hold on to take his sixth win of the season on the Panigale V2 machine and extend his Championship lead over Schroetter with the German rider finishing in third place. His victory means he now has more wins for Ducati in WorldSSP than all the other Ducati winners combined.

The battle for second place turned into a three-way scrap with Schroetter running in second until Lap 8 before he was overtaken by Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), who started from tenth, at Turn 8 to demote the German to third. Two laps later, Schroetter found himself in fourth place after Caricasulo overtook him through Turns 9 and 10 to claim a podium on home soil, the fifth Italian podium lookout. Manzi and Caricasulo had a late-race battle with Caricasulo looking to overtake Manzi, but the Yamaha rider was able to hold on for his 10^th podium in WorldSSP while Caricasulo scored his 31^st.

JUST MISSING OUT: under a second off the podium

Schroetter was able to stem his losses once Caricasulo came by and he spent the second half of the race in fourth place as he tried to stay in touch with Caricasulo ahead of him, as he finished around two seconds clear of Montella who dropped to fifth despite his impressive start. Wildcard Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team) took sixth place on home soil after he battled up from 11^th place; the Italian rider had a three-place grid drop for irresponsible riding in Tissot Superpole.

STRONG BATTLES: unpredictable fight inside the top ten

Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) dropped back at the start of the race but he battled back to take seventh place, taking advantage of the scrap behind him to take P7 at Misano. The battle behind him was a three-way scrap involving Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) and Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki). At the end of the 18-lap race, it was Navarro who took home in eighth place with Tuuli in ninth. Huertas made a mistake in the final few laps of the race which allowed Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) to take tenth, with Huertas finishing in 11^th place.

SCORING POINTS: positives to take into Sunday

Three more Italian riders took home points in Race 1 with Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) taking 12^th place, three seconds down on 11^th place. He was also three seconds clear of Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing) in 13^th ahead of two Italian riders. Andrea Mantovani (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) was 14^th on home soil with Federico Fuligni (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) taking the final point from Race 1 and also finishing as the highest-placed WorldSSP Challenge rider. He had a five second margin to his nearest rival in the WorldSSP Challenge with Tom Edwards (Yart-Yamaha WorldSSP Team) in 16^th.

Johan Gimbert (GMT94 Yamaha), standing in for the unfit Valentin Debise, was half-a-second down on Edwards at the end of the race after he made moves in the closing stages; passing Maximilian Kofler (D34G Racing) and beating him by a tenth of a second. John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) was 19^th after a late crash at Turn 14 cost him time and positions, but he was still able to finish ahead of Yuta Okaya (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) who completed the top 20. Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team), Harry Truelove (Dynavolt Triumph), Ratthapong Wilairot (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team) and teammate Anupab Sarmoon were the last classified riders; Sarmoon had a crash at Turn 2 on Lap 7 which dropped him down the order.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP Race 1

The first retirement of the race was Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura), one of several riders without a lap time in Race 1. Maiki Abe (VFT Racing WEBIKE Yamaha) made contact with Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) on the exit of Turn 10 on Lap 1 and retired, with Mackenzie able to continue but retiring at the end of the lap. The FIM WorldSBK Stewards investigated the incident but took no further action. On Lap 2, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) crashed at Turn 8 and, despite bringing his bike back to the pits, retired. Two laps later, Tom Booth-Amos (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) had a tech issue at Turn 8 and took his bike off the circuit while Marco Bussolotti (Axon Seven Team) also had a tech issue at the start of Lap 5. Reigning WorldSSP300 Champion Alvaro Diaz (Arco Yart Yamaha WorldSSP) retired with a tech issue on Lap 12 of 18.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:

1 Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +1.609s

3. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +1.184s

4. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +2.425s

5. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +6.685s

6. Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team) +9.838s

Fastest Lap: Federico Caricasulo (Ducati) – 1’37.933s

Don’t miss more WorldSSP action on Sunday at Misano using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship racing action got underway with a shortened 20-lap Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” during the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) led teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi as the pair sported a special yellow livery in Race 1. Bautista had a five-second margin over his teammate has he made it 12 wins from 13 races in 2023 while Rinaldi added to his Misano podium count.

PODIUM FIGHTS: yellow replaces red on the rostrum…

As the lights went out for the 20-lap race, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Rinaldi looked to have got a better start compared to Bautista but the reigning Champion was able to hold on from the pair to keep the lead from pole position. The trio fought it out over the early laps of the race with Razgatlioglu aiming to pass Rinaldi around the outside into Turn 4 with the Italian defending to keep second place.

As the race settled down, Bautista and Rinaldi were both able to gap Razgatlioglu in first and second place respectively to claim a home victory for Ducati on a special liveried Panigale V4 R, with the bike running yellow colours rather than red to pay homage to Ducati’s history. The win was Bautista’s 44^th win in WorldSBK and his fourth at Misano, while Rinaldi equalled his podium tally from 2022 with second place to take his fourth podium of the season. It was also the first win for a yellow Ducati since Sylvain Guintoli at Assen in 2012.

While the two Ducati riders checked out in front, Razgatlioglu had to withstand some early pressure from Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) but the 2021 Champion was able to resist that pressure before pulling out a gap over his rivals. As the race hit the halfway stage, Petrucci dropped Bassani behind him and started gaining on Razgatlioglu in the podium fight. By Lap 12, Ragatlioglu started pulling away from the Italian rookie to claim third place. Razgatlioglu’s third place means he closes in on a century of WorldSBK podium while it was Yamaha’s 349^th race on the podium.

FIERCE FIGHTS: hard-fought race off the podium

It had looked Petrucci would claim fourth place, but his race ended when he crashed on Lap 15 at Turn 8, with his Panigale V4 R ending up in the gravel and his race was over. This promoted Bassani to fourth place as he equalled his best result of the season while the battle for fifth raged on behind him between Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). On the penultimate lap, Aegerter tried to make a move at Turn 14 and looked like he got ahead of Rea but he ran wide and allowed Rea through. He then tried to make a move at Turn 8 on the final lap, but, again, ran wide to allow Rea to keep fifth place.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: aiming to build on Sunday

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) battled up the order to claim seventh place after a fight with Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) in the early stages of the race, with the Spaniard having to resist Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) behind him after he passed the Australian rookie. Lecuona was able to hold off Gardner to claim eighth place ahead of Gardner in ninth, while Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) rounded out the top ten.

SCORING POINTS: hoping for a top ten on Sunday

Vierge was involved in a race-long with Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) with the Spaniard coming out on top ahead of Redding, who finished 11^th but missed out on a spot in the top ten by just three tenths of a second. It was a difficult race for Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) who, until today, had finished every race in the top seven in 2023. He took 12^th in Race 1, finishing ahead of Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) who put in a late charge to pass Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) in 14^th. Home rider Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) rounded out the points with 15^th place.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from Race 1

Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) narrowly missed out on points on his return to BMW as he finished in 16^th place, finishing almost a second down on Baldassarri. He was able to finish ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) who overcame a three-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding in FP3 to take 17^th place ahead of Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in 18^th. Ray had to start from the pitlane after an issue on the grid which delayed the start and reduced the race duration from 21 laps to 20.

Tito Rabat (Barni Spark Racing Team) was 19^th on his return to WorldSBK action, 16 seconds down on Ray ahead of him, while he was six seconds clear of compatriot Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) in 20^th place. Ryo Mizuno (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) finshed his maiden WorldSBK race in 21^st place.

Luca Vitali (Orelac Racing MOVISIO), replacing the injured Oliver Konig, and wildcard Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) both did not complete a lap of Race 1. Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) brought his Honda machine into the pits in the first half of the race to retire from Race 1.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:

1 Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

2. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +5.221s

3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.971s

4. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +14.285s

5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +18.595s

6. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +19.021

Fastest Lap: Alvaro Bautista (Ducati) – 1’33.901s

Don’t miss more WorldSBK action from Misano from 09:00 Local Time (GMT+2) on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship got racing action underway at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” with a dramatic Race 1 as wildcard Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) claimed a stunning home victory in his 49^th WorldSSP300 race while Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) crashed out in the closing stages to relinquish his Championship lead.

DRAMA FROM THE START: a wildcard winner

The original race got underway but was quickly red flagged due to a technical issue with the race start, with the restarted race reduced to 10 laps with the original grid. It meant Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) was able to take to the restarted race despite a crash at Turn 3 in the original start; he was classified in 17^th place at the end of the race.

The restarted race was ten laps of thrilling WorldSSP300 action as Ieraci held off a last lap, last corner move from Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) to claim his first win in the Championship and his second podium in WorldSSP300. Gennai’s second place, coupled with Championship leader Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) crashing out of the race, means he now leads the Championship after taking his seventh podium and his third consecutive rostrum finish. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) battled his way up the order to claim third place, his third podium in WorldSSP300.

JUST MISSING OUT: close to the podium

Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) claimed fourth place for the fourth time this season out of five races time in 2023, narrowly missing out on a podium by just 0.078s, although he did have a half-a-second margin over Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) as he returned from injury with a top-five finish. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) battled his way from 19^th on the grid to sixth place although he did lead at several points during the shortened race, finishing only 0.069s behind Sabatucci.

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP TEN: it was a closely-packed field

The last Italian rider inside the top ten was Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) as he claimed seventh place on home soil. He was just over a tenth behind French rider Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) in eighth, who had to fend off a charge from three riders to take eighth place. Enzo Valentim (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) was 0.054s behind Di Sora, with Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) rounding out the top ten a further 0.033s behind. 2020 Champion Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) narrowly missed out on a place in the top ten by just 0.037s.

SCORING POINTS: heading into Race 2 with points in the bag

Indonesian rider Galang Hendra Pratama (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) finished in 12^th place as he continues his return to WorldSSP300. Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki), who started the race from the front row, dropped down the order to finish in 13^th place ahead of Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) in 14^th and Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) who completed the points. British rider Seabright also took the fastest lap of the race.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP300 Race 1

It had been a strong weekend for wildcard Emanuele Cazzaniga (Racestar) and he spent time at the front of the field but on Lap 4, the #4 crashed at Turn 4 to end his weekend in the gravel. Yeray Saiz Marquez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) retired from the race in the final third of the race, as did Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Team#109 Kawasaki) after a crash at Turn 8.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 1, full results here:

1. Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing)

2. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.149s

3. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) +0.818s

4. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +0.896s

5. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PI Performances) +1.322s

6. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) +1.391s

Don’t miss more WorldSSP300 action from Misano on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

There will be a new colour on the 2023 Ducati Panigale V4 R at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” during the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round as the Bologna-based manufacturer switch red for yellow. Unveiled before the start of Race 1 for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders Alvaro Bautista and Michael Ruben Rinaldi, the yellow livery pays tribute to some historic bikes from Ducati, including the 750 Sport and 750 SS Desmo in the 1970s, before the yellow livery became more popular in the 1990s. Ducati models including the 916, 996, 749, 999 and 1199 have all been run in the yellow livery. Famously, Pierfrancesco Chilli raced the Ducati 998 RS in yellow and won in 2004 at Misano running a yellow livery while Paolo Casoli led a race using a yellow Ducati at 1996 in Hockenheim, Steve Martin ran it in 2004 and Lorenzo Lanzi claimed a race victory at Valencia in 2008 on a yellow liveried Ducati.

Check out images of the yellow Panigale V4 R at the top of this article and watch all the drama from Misano using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s fifth round is promising to be an electric one, with the title fight primed for more drama after a tense Tissot Superpole at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” in Italy. The Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, where Pirelli will celebrate their 20^th season as WorldSBK’s Official Sole Tyre Supplier, saw a new SCQ in action and the lap record smashed, as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) rocketed to a third pole of the year and ninth of his career.

STORY OF SUPERPOLE: Lowes crashes, Bautista, Petrucci impress straight away

There was immediate trouble for Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at Turn 1, when he got out of shape in the braking area and tucked the front, with his foot getting stuck under the handlebar. However, he was OK and soon back on track. After the opening runs, Alvaro Bautista went to the top, but he was followed closely by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team). However, it was a massive opening lap for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) with a 1’33.182. As the first half was coming to a close, Petrucci’s breakthrough with fresh and soft rubber continued as he went up to second, whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fourth. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) was impressive in P6, before moving up to P4, with a strong showing in comparison to previous rounds.

RED FLAG, EARLY END: Bautista holds off, bad luck for Razgatlioglu

After a frantic first part of the session, most riders came into the pits, whilst Alvaro Bautista’s next run started in the final five minutes. With five to go, riders left the pits but Bautista already had his fast lap underway, as did teammate Rinaldi. Rinaldi went second but Bautista was on a stunning lap, going top with a 1’33.017, but he crashed at Turn 8 on the following lap. He was OK and able to re-join. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) crashed at Turn 2, but there was major drama for Gabriele Ruiu (Bmax Racing) at Turn 11, with a cloud of smoke billowing out from his BMW, which resulted in a red flag.

The red flag came out with 1’45 left on the clock and thus, the session was ended, meaning Bautista took a third pole position of 2023 and will start from the front of the grid for Ducati at their home round. Toprak Razgatlioglu was on a very fast lap at the time of the red flag but will launch from second and the middle of the front row, whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi completed the top three, meaning the Ducatisti will watch two Panigale V4 Rs go from the front row.

SECOND ROW: can Petrucci and Bassani launch a podium charge?

For the second row, a declaration by the Independent riders; Danilo Petrucci’s strong weekend continued as he took fourth and therefore, his best WorldSBK Superpole result, whilst Axel Bassani was fifth and took a top five in Superpole for the first time since he was third on the grid in Argentina, 2021. Completing the second row, Jonathan Rea was top Kawasaki but will have work to do to get a podium banked this weekend.

THIRD ROW: Aegerter charges forwards

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) climbed up to seventh for his first WorldSBK Superpole session at Misano, and he was ahead of Honda’s best rider Iker Lecuona (Team HRC), who found form to make big gains in comparison to his Free Practice times. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took ninth, whilst Alex Lowes bounced back from his opening crash with tenth, but not ideal for the #22.

OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN: big factory names with A LOT of work to do

Wanting more from Misano after a contract renewal ahead of the round, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was only 11^th, ahead of Redding. Philipp Oettl (Team GoEleven) had strong pace in FP3 but couldn’t replicate it in Superpole and was 13^th, one place higher than Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW). In P15, with a best result of the 2023 in Superpole, Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) completes the fifth row. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) continues to struggle for one-lap pace in Superpole and was P16, ahead of Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) and Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

COMPLETING THE ORDER: Baz far down

It was only 19^th for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) ahead of Hafizh Syahrin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) in 20^th. Ruiu finished in 21^st despite his mechanical issue, ahead of Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing), Luca Vitali (Orelac Racing MOVISIO) and Ryo Mizuno (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team).

Top six after WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’33.017s

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +0.165s

3. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.249s

4. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.386s

5. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) +0.413s

6. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.561s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

It was a record-breaking Tissot Superpole session for the FIM Supersport World Championship as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) lapped in the 1’36s bracket to smash the all-time lap record at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Bulega is the first WorldSSP rider to lap Misano in under 1’37s as he claimed pole position by six tenths of a second for the fourth pole position of his career.

LAP RECORD OBLITERATED:  a 1’36s for Bulega…

Bulega was straight on lap record pace from the start of the 20-minute session as he claimed pole position at Misano as he set a 1’36.495s to obliterate the lap record as he claimed the fourth pole of the season. He was six tenths clear of Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) who had a technical issue at Turn 8 in the closing stages of the session and his best time was a 1’37.112, underneath the previous lap record, ahead of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) in third who also crashed. Montella’s crash came at Turn 15 to bring his session to an end but he will still start from the front row. Caricasulo claimed his 36^th front row start despite the tech issue, while it is Montella’s third.

FIGHTING FOR THE PODIUM: a fierce scrap incoming

Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) will start from fourth on the grid after posting a 1’37.691s to lap 1.196s slower than Bulega and 0.029s faster than Dutch rider Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) in fifth place. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) ensured two MV Agustas were in the top six as he set a late lap to claim sixth place on the back of his first WorldSSP win last time out in Barcelona.

STRONG RESULTS IN A CLOSE FIELD: fighting for the top ten

French rider Lucas Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), continuing to replace the injured Can Oncu who’s in attendance at Misano, claimed seventh place after setting a 1’37.845s, 0.020s ahead of wildcard Simone Corsi (Altogo Racing Team) in eighth after a strong showing for the wildcard in his second WorldSSP appearance of 2023. Rookie Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) claimed ninth place ahead of Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) in 10^th and teammate Stefano Manzi in 11^th; the trio separated by just 0.012s.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP Superpole

It was a dramatic 20-minute session in WorldSSP with several riders crashing. Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) took a tumble at Turn 6 on his first flying lap and he took 21^st on the grid with just two timed laps to his name. His teammate, Federico Fuligni, had a major moment at the same corner a few minutes later but he was able to continue; he’ll start from 18^th.

The top six following WorldSSP Superpole, full results here:

1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 1’36.495

2. Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team) +0.617s

3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) +0.862s

4. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.196s

5. Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team) +1.225s

6. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +1.309s

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Source: WorldSBK.com

There was a return to the front of the grid for Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship as he claimed pole position for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Buis claimed pole position by just 0.041s ahead of Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) who took his best ever WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole result to start from the first row.

THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING: a second pole position for Buis

Buis posted his time of 1’49.297s in the early stages of the 20-minute session and his time remained unbeaten throughout the session, while rival Zanca waited until the final moments to post his best time of the session. Zanca claimed his first front row start in WorldSSP300 with second place while Julio Garcia (Team Flembbo – PI Performances) will start from third and, like Zanca, claimed his first front row start of his WorldSSP300 career after setting a 1’49.573s.

BEST RESULTS: riders looking strong in Italy

Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) took fourth in the Tissot Superpole session but he will have a three-place grid penalty for Race 1 for irresponsible riding in Free Practice 1. Rookie Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) ensured both MTM Kawasaki machines finished in the top six in Superpole with fifth place, ahead of Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) in sixth. The Frenchman was unable to set a lap time towards the end of the session after he had a Turn 6 crash.

FIGHTING BACK: can the Championship leader make gains?

Championship leader Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki) took seventh place as he looks to maintain or extend his Championship lead over the Emilia-Romagna Round. He set a 1’49.804s, the exact same time as wildcard Bruno Ieraci (ProDina Kawasaki Racing), but due to Svoboda’s second best lap time being quicker he will start ahead of the Italian rider. German rider Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) took ninth place in Superpole ahead of Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) who rounded out the top ten.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP300 Superpole

Two other riders will carry penalties into Race 1. Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) and teammate Ioannis Peristeras both will have a three-place grid penalty for Race 1 after being penalised for irresponsible riding in FP1 after they took 29^th and 30^th in the Superpole session; the final two classified riders in the session. Junhao Zhan (China Racing Team), making his debut at Misano, crashed at Turn 6 in the early part of the session. He re-joined later on after his bike was checked by his mechanics, but his best time was a 1’56.572s; outside 105% of Buis’ time.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Superpole, full results here:

1. Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki) 1’49.297

2. Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) +0.041s

3. Julio Garcia (Team Fkembbo-PI Performances) +0.276s

4. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +0.325s

5. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.367s

6. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.394s

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Source: WorldSBK.com