Four races down, and five to go. After today's action at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Rimini, Italy, on the Adriatic coast, there will be merely three races remaining in the FIM Superstock 1000 European Cup for 2016. Last year in this race, the battle was between Lorenzo Savadori and Raffaele De Rosa. Both rode Ducati's, and Savadori, won the 2015 STK1000 championship crown, and moved up to World Superbike. De Rosa, now racing a BMW of course, he is leading the points in the Cup, but merely by five over his closest rival, the Argentinian, Leandro Mercado. We have a 15 lap race in front of us for the STK1000 division, here at Misano, to complete this weekend's proceedings.
Current weather conditions as we ready for the race look like this. Air temperature, 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit). Track temperature, 36 degrees Celsius (96 degrees Fahrenheit). The track temp is up at least ten degrees from where it was in the morning warmup for the STK1000 riders, which lasted for oh, 15 minutes. A six mile per hour (11 kilometer per hour), wind speed, won't be a factor for the bikes and riders. We ask these questions. Will either of our two previous race winners in STK1000 repeat? Or, will we have a new winner? Two wins apiece, for Leandro Mercado on the Ducati Panigale and Raffaele De Rosa on the BMW S1000RR. This is the halfway mark in the season, and next up, will be in a little less than two months for these boys, in Germany, at the Lausitzring.
If De Rosa is on the podium today, that would be ten in a row for him, equaling the record in this category, of the most podiums a rider has had consecutively, in STK1000 competition. Xavier Simeon was the first to do it, in 2009. Simeon was the champion. The year after that, in 2010, Ayrton Badovini, accomplished the same feat. Get on the podium ten times, and win the series title. De Rosa's record would overlap between the latter half of 2015 and the full extent of 2016 so far. We have another big grid, with 38 bikes and riders. But, poor old Michael Ruben Rinaldi, will have to start his Aruba.it Junior Team Ducati Panigale from the very back of the grid.
Rinaldi didn't post a qualifying time, sped back to the paddock on his motorcycle and thus, he was fined by Dorna and the FIM 500 Euros and given two penalty points. Rinaldi is at his home race, because he lives in Rimini, not too far from Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. 2014 Superstock 600 champion Marco Faccani has pole position for this race. De Rosa and Mercado start second and third, after Mercado had a wreck in morning warm up. Kevin Calia is next on the grid and joining him on row two are Roberto Tamburini and Toprak Razgatlioglu. Many riders have not had podium finishes in this class. Leandro Mercado had a huge wreck in the morning warmup.
Mercado slid off the bike when the front end tucked under and sent him sliding, and the bike absolutely tumbling through the gravel trap. Mercado has to keep his cool and try closing in on De Rosa in the championship fight. The points gap is just five. But, Raffaele De Rosa has momentum on his side. Pit lane is open. We've got a number of riders who have either won in STK1000 or they are looking for their first ever win, at the front of the grid. Listen, folks. I'll pull a Laurel & Hardy here, if Leandro Mercado comes from 38th on the grid and wins. I'll eat my hat. I don't have a hat here, though. The other problem is, a hat doesn't taste very good, and you can't swallow it. Someone, bring me a chocolate hat, stat!
I have a feeling, if I ate someone's hat in the commentary box, they'd eat my heart! Now, let's not get carried away! Painful! Anyhow, enough with the fun and games. Misano has seen some 70,000 fans turn out of the motorcycle races this weekend. The atmosphere here in World Superbike along with the Supersport and Superstock classes, allow fans to get close to the riders and their magnificent two wheeled machines. We have seen the great competition in World Superbike already this weekend, and that generates lots of excitement towards next year, and the 2017 season. Will Yamaha, Honda, and MV Agusta, be within striking distance of Kawasaki and Ducati? We'll have to find out.
Also in WSBK (forgot to mention this in the blog entry on Wednesday), but, nine different riders in World Superbike have qualified on the front row for the races this year. These motorcycles, again, are much like the ones you see on the street and you can, assuming you've got the cash, because they are quite expensive, go to the dealer of the motorcycle make of your choice and say, "I want to buy a 1000cc high performance motorcycle." Marco Faccani has run the IRS 125cc Challenge, and has been through various Italian motorcycle racing championship, Repsol CEV, and Superstock 600 which is now merged with World Supersport to create one category.
Faccani had a great season in STK600 a few years ago. He took five wins, four poles, and three fastest laps. Raffaele De Rosa starts second. Leandro Mercado is third. If you remember, he had mixed up tires on his bike in wet/dry conditions at Assen in Holland. This is very similar to a mistake made by Roberto Tamburini. A wreck, at Assen, before the finale at Magny Cours in France. This year, Jerez, in Spain, will be the finale of the STK1000 Cup. Kevin Calia is fourth. He's best of the rest behind De Rosa, Mercado, and Michael Ruben Rinaldi. Calia rides for Nuova M2 Racing on an Aprilia RSV4 RF.
Roberto Tamburini, on another Aprilia, starts fifth, and is seventh in points. Tamburini was runner up to Lorenzo Savadori in the Cup standings in 2015. He ran with MotoX BMW last year, and is now racing for the Aprilia team where Savadori was before he moved to the Aprilia factory World Superbike team. Toprak Razgatlioglu in sixth, had a chance for the title winner. He won the Superstock 600 championship last year, and he was injured twice breaking an ankle and a wrist. Will he finish on the podium again? Will he win? Andrea Mantovani starts seventh on the Guandolini Racing Yamaha YZF R1.
Mantovani is fifth in points right now. Lucas Mahias starts eighth. The Frenchman is riding a Yamaha for the official works Yamaha Superstock team, sponsored by the Pata snack company. Getting a sponsorship plug in for the potato chips. If you want, just a snack, eat Pata chips, is the clear ad campaign there. Other snacks, are available, from the company as well. Mahias is fresh off winning the FIM Endurance World Championship Portimao 12 Hours, where he teamed with fellow Yamaha riders Niccolo Canepa and David Checa. The finish of that one must have been incredible, because it came down to less than a second between first and second place.
Ninth on the grid is Jeremy Guarnoni on the Pedercini Racing Kawasaki ZX10R. Toprak Razgatlioglu has to push, and the one thing he doesn't need, is to do that. He has to learn how to ride these big motorcycles so he can do well in World Superbike in the future. Lorenzo Savadori has won STK1000 here before, and is now in World Superbike. Other riders have also done well such as Sylvain Barrier, Davide Giugliano, Michele Fabrizio, and Ayrton Badovini, who are all former STK1000 race winners. In 11th on the grid we see Luca Vitali of Italy on the Team 2R Racing BMW S1000RR.
Other riders to look out for are 2010 Italian Superstock 600 champion Fabio Massei, and also, starting 12th is former Grand Prix motorcycle racer, Matteo Ferrari. He's been in Moto3 and now races in STK1000 for DMR Racing BMW. Three corners, one line, 38 riders and motorcycles. How many riders make it out of turn three without falling? I wager, six blokes will have fallen off their bikes by the end of lap one. 13th is a second Pata Snacks Yamaha rider. Italy's Niccolo Morrentino Jr. More snack ads. Folks, don't go to the concessions stands for your Pata Chips and San Pellegrino Limonata or orange sodas yet. We've got a race to run.
What is the international dialing code for Italy? To give it's full title, it's the Italian Republic, and the dialing code is +39 and leave the zero. Drive your Ferrari, Fiat, Alfa Romeo etc. on the right side of the road. 38 bikes on this grid. Let's hope there isn't an early picnic and we can save those Pata chips for the after race party. Tip a winner, you ask? Hmmm. Raffaele De Rosa goes three in a row. We'll find out. I don't pick winners. But... maybe, I just have. We set off on the warmup lap. 38 riders, and everyone will have to be really careful.
Weather conditions just before the red lights go out. 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit), air temp. 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), track temp. These guys have a two month break after this race until September, as they don't race at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, USA. This is a crucial start because the run to turn one here at Misano Adriatico is so short. We look at one of the Italian wildcard riders. That's Fabio Marchionni, another Italian, in his home race, aboard the #55 Speed Action Yamaha YZF R1. We've got quite a few national Italian Superbike and Italian championship riders, in this field.
Get ready. Here we go. Superstock 1000 at Misano, is underway! Raffaele De Rosa, gets swamped immediately. Will they all get through turns 1, 2, and 3? Toprak Razgatlioglu is already making a move! Marco Faccani gets hung out to dry from pole. Mercado has the lead into turn three. Be careful, everyone! Wow! Brilliantly done! Everyone survives Variante del Parco! Kevin Calia, thankfully did not jump the start. Andrea Mantovani is charging through the pack and is up to ninth already. Luca Mahias passes Raffaele De Rosa through Tramonto and down to Curvone for the first time.
Mercado leads this race, as Raffaele De Rosa almost runs into the back of Toprak Razgatlioglu! With Leandro Mercado leading, Raffaele De Rosa knows he needs to get to the front. Top ten runners right now.
1. Leandro Mercado
2. Marco Faccani
3. Toprak Razgatlioglu
4. Luca Mahias
5. Raffaele De Rosa
6. Kevin Calia
7. Roberto Tamburini
8. Andrea Mantovani
9. Jeremy Guarnoni
10. Luca Vitale
Michael Ruben Rinaldi, has amazingly, cut his starting place, in half! He's made it from 38th, caboose on the grid, to 19th, already! In replay we watch De Rosa run wide. He lost just one place. De Rosa is now fifth, chasing Luca Mahias and Toprak Razgatlioglu. Through Tramonto, we have a rider down. #3 Sebastien Suchet has fallen off his Berclaz Racing by MotoX Racing Yamaha YZF R1. In a cloud of dust, Suchet does rejoin this race. Leandro Mercado has eked out a second gap over Marco Faccani trying to find breathing room. Raffaele De Rosa knows he has to push and get back up to the sharp end of the top five.
Mercado sets the first fastest lap of this race on lap two at 1:37.114. Luca Mahias and Toprak Razgatlioglu are in a scrum for position. Razgatlioglu pops a wheelie at turn six. De Rosa inside Mahias. BMW passes Yamaha. Mahias and De Rosa, side by side! De Rosa takes Mahias, and Razgatlioglu who has to sit up! Yikes! De Rosa and Mahias pass the Kawasaki. Behind these guys it's another battle between Kevin Calia, Andrea Mantovani, Roberto Tamburini, Jeremy Guarnoni, and another BMW is in the top ten. That's the one ridden by Matteo Ferrari.
In 11th through 15th we have Luca Vitale, Gregg Black, Fabio Massei, Andrea Tucci, and Luca Marconi. Michael Ruben Rinaldi is already in 16th, from 38th on the grid! 22 spots in three laps! Rinaldi has to get to the front and score points. Kevin Calia is chasing him down in the cup points standings. Raffaele De Rosa catches Marco Faccani. Oh dear. We have a crash. Dutchman Rob Hartog crashes his #47 Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer Kawasaki ZX10R. Marco Faccani slides his bike through Tramonto.
De Rosa took the place from Faccani moving him back to third. De Rosa and Mercado are the top riders in STK1000 and can put the motorcycle anyplace they want on the track. De Rosa is trying to shrink Mercado's gap. He is fastest of the top three, into the 1:36 range at 1:36.725 while Mercado runs 1:37.459 and Faccani, 1:37.902. It's confirmed. De Rosa sets a new lap record. Amazingly, everyone apart from Rob Hartog is still in this race! 37 of the 38 bikes are still out there, pounding around. We saw Sebastien Suchet crash earlier, but he recovered. Sadly, Suchet is caboose on the field. Raffaele De Rosa, is coming. He's set fastest times in both the second and third sectors on the track.
Luca Mahias is catching Marco Faccani. A three-way scrap for fifth between Toprak Razgatlioglu, Kevin Calia, and Roberto Tamburini. Continuing down the order to the end of the points places, we have Andrea Mantovani, Matteo Ferrari, Jeremy Guarnoni, Luca Vitale, Gregg Black, Fabio Massei, Andrea Tucci, and Michael Ruben Rinaldi. Faccani and Mahias side by side, and now, Raffaele De Rosa is going for the lead, trying to take it away from Leandro Mercado! Not this time. Too excited. The riders wind their bikes through turn 11 at Curvone. Luca Mahias has been in every division. He's ridden Superbikes, Supersport, and now, he is in Super Stock 1000. Rinaldi makes a pass on Massei for 14th!
De Rosa has now taken the lead from Leandro Mercado. De Rosa passes Mercado clean as a whistle through La Quercia. We are going to miss these guys racing, for a shade under two months, before they come back at the Lausitzring in September. Let us not forget that Mercado's Ducati had to be rebuilt this morning after a huge crash in the warmup. This race, could be in the bag, with eight laps to go. Raffaele De Rosa, has the pace, and the confidence, and he could win this thing. We are halfway home, this lap. Lucas Mahias got around Marco Faccani in turn one when Faccani ran wide into turn one.
Another crash. Belgian rider Gauthier Duwelz has wrecked his bright yellow D.K. Racing BMW S1000RR. Game over. 2/3rds distance is the end of lap ten. De Rosa leads Mercado by 4/10hs of a second. Marco Faccani is backed up towards Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Razgatlioglu may have some ill handling in his Kawasaki. Through Tramonto, Kevin Calia wants to challenge Toprak Razgatlioglu and these two blokes have Roberto Tamburini in hot pursuit. Tamburini is Calia's Aprilia team mate. Kevin Calia takes fifth spot away from Razgatlioglu!
Back to silly season and Kawasaki for a moment. We know that the Puccetti team in World Supersport is moving up next year to World Superbike. They are speaking with their riders in the lower divisions such as Randy Krummenacher and Toprak Razgatlioglu, as well as veteran rider Marco Melandri. Razgatlioglu needs more experience because he's dealt with injury this year and has not been able to put mileage in on a 1000cc motorcycle. Michael Ruben Rinaldi, meanwhile, passes Gregg Black for 12th spot.
We've been playing "I'm thinking of a number... higher or lower" in STK1000 all race. Is the price of the motorcycle higher, or lower, than the actual retail price? Roberto Tamburini makes the pass on Toprak Razgatlioglu. If he plays his cards right, he could follow the Aprilia, and then, make a pass on Tamburini. Last year, Marco Ramirez and Janos Chrobak had a horrid wreck in the last corner when Chrobak rear ended Ramirez in last year's Misano World Supersport race. The two Turkish Kawasaki riders (Toprak Razgatlioglu and Kenan Sofuoglu who runs World Supersport), are very close friends, almost like brothers, perhaps. Lucas Mahias, could finish on the podium, even if Kevin Calia, is charging after him in fifth. Marco Faccani probably won't make a pass on Mahias.
Oh boy. De Rosa hasn't pulled the pin and checked out. Just about a tenth of a second separates he and Leandro Mercado. The wheel of fortune is spinning. Where will it land? Three or so laps left. What does Raffaele De Rosa have left in the locker? Local yellow flags as Sebastien Suchet stops his Yamaha with a technical malady. Mercado, is coming! They are side by side! Ooh. Mercado runs very wide allowing De Rosa some space. Hmmm. Greg Haines and Steve English in the commentary box at Misano, are starting to list game shows. This race, is soon over. But, our blog entry, will it last?
OK. Focus. Put my teeth back in. Down into La Quercia, Luca Mahias is still running in third. Facani and Calia are still together. Toprak Razgatlioglu is still chasing Roberto Tamburini. Let's look down into the back part of the top contenders in this field. Andrea Mantovani is ninth ahead of Jeremy Guarnoni, completing the top ten. Beyond that, it's Matteo Ferrari, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Gregg Black, Andrea Tucci, Fabio Massei, Luca Marconi, wildcard Italian racer Federico Sandi, Wayne Tessels, Julian Puffe, and others. Christopher Ponsson is 21st. Tony Finsterbusch, Eric Vionnet, Marc Moser, and others.
Rinaldi is 12th with Tucci and Massei scrapping just behind. Just two laps to go. Raffaele De Rosa is still second behind Leandro Mercado. Andrea Tucci and Fabio Massei, two Italian's, one number apart #43 and #44, are battling. They are on two different teams. Massei rides for Team Trasimeno and Tucci for Berclaz Racing By Moto X Racing, both on Yamaha YZF R1's. De Rosa is opening a gap on Mercado as we come towards the finish here. If this order stands, for the constructor's cup, it will be a mere point between Ducati and BMW in the constructor's cup! Yikes! That's close!
One lap to go, and we have a battle royal shaping up for the win in STK1000 at Misano Adriatico! Ladies and gentlemen, this last lap is going to be a humdinger! De Rosa could lead by ten points, and Mercado could keep his lead, by a razor thin margin, before Germany in September, the next race in the cup. Front wheel chatter for Mercado. When you get the oscillation in the front wheel, you know that ain't good. Anyone who has ridden even a bicycle knows how that works. Can Mercado force his way by De Rosa into turn eight at La Quercia? De Rosa brakes, Mercado makes a run, and they touch, just a bit!
De Rosa had to sit up! Mercado gets by, but into Tramonto it's not over yet! De Rosa tries to pass and Mercado, slams the door in his face! The Curvone is a quick one. Five corners left in the Superstock 1000 race at Misano! De Rosa is inside Mercado, again! They touch! They're both down and out! Mercado is so angry, he wants to have a wrestling match in the gravel with De Rosa, probably thinking, "why did you shove me out of this race in the last corner, you idiot!" From motorcycle racing, to Ultimate Fighter! Could Luca Mahias, win STK1000 at Misano? Yes! Luca Mahias, wins it!
Kevin Calia beats Marco Faccani to second. Razgatlioglu and Tamburini are next across the line, as De Rosa rejoins the race! Michael Ruben Rinaldi is in the points! From 38th and last, to tenth! How about that?! De Rosa ends up seventeenth, with nil points on the board. No mas. Excuse me. 19th. This might sink his championship hopes, right there in the Adriatic Sea. Mahias is the winner! What a final lap in STK1000! De Rosa goes to the Lausitzring in three months, and the points are status quo.
This ruins De Rosa's podium record that goes back to Donington Park 2015. He may be in tears of frustration after this one thinking, why oh why, did I have to get smashed into? He could have had ten straight podiums equaling the record of consecutive top three finishes in Superstock 1000 set by Xavier Simeon and Ayrton Badovini in 2009 and 2010. Gauthier Duwelz has finished this race, but no points. Valentino Rossi, is here to watch the race. Hmmm. Interesting.
Superstock 1000 Race: #144 Lucas Mahias FRA. PATA Yamaha Official Stock Team Yamaha YZF R1
For his first Stock 1000 race, it's great to see Mahias win on his first try in the category! PATA Yamaha's two regular riders, Ricardo Russo and Florian Marino are still out of the championship. There only three races remaining as we are halfway through the season. Yamaha, Aprilia, Ducati, the top three. Valentino Rossi has snuck into Misano. Yikes! Rossi has been displayed on the big screen. He'll have to run from the fans and paparazzi.
Mahias, Calia, and Facani, on the podium, and the Prosecco spray in super slow motion! Watch out, Mr. Mahias! He drops the Prosecco bottle, and wham! It sprays like a geyser all over his crew! It's all gone pear shaped after the win. There is Prosecco everywhere! What a race at Misano! Folks, we'll see you, in a couple of months, from Germany. Stay tuned, later this week, for World Superbike, in California. Bye bye, for now.
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