Tag Archives: Misano

Latest News

Ferrari leads Italian 1-2 in stunning Misano E-pole shootout

Ferrari Leads Italian 1-2 In Stunning Misano E-pole ShootoutThe reigning Cup winner takes the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup Saturday spoils for the first time – but will start from Row 2.

There was a lot to smile about for some of the home heroes after FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup E-Pole at the Gran Premio Lenovo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with Matteo Ferrari (Trentino Gresini MotoE) taking his very first E-Pole after snatching the honour from compatriot Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse). The 2019 Cup winner and Misano victor won’t start from the front, however, with Casadei promoted to P1 as Ferrari serves a three-place grid penalty for his crash with Eric Granado (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) in Jerez. Third fastest in E-Pole was Xavier Simeon (LCR E-Team) as he pipped rookie Lukas Tulovic (Tech 3 E-Racing), but the German will move up to start alongside the Belgian on the front row.

The story of the day – as well as the polesetter, front row and penalty on the way – was a difficult E-Pole for Eric Granado as the Brazilian ran afoul of track limits and had his lap cancelled. He’ll therefore start from the back, and will be one to watch as he tries to move forward in the short dash of a MotoE™ race that awaits.

That drama came late as the runners headed out in the order set by their Free Practice times – with the fastest going last – creating plenty of stories throughout the field. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) wasn’t quite able to replicate his Jerez form, last year’s E-Pole winner Alex de Angelis (Octo Pramac MotoE) had a few big moments on his lap, and injury comeback kid Niki Tuuli (Avant Ajo MotoE) showed some solid signs before losing his advantage in the final sector . On Sunday, then, we can expect another incredible spectacle…

Behind the Casadei, Simeon, Tulovic front row, Ferrari will start fourth with Aegerter alongside him. Niccolo Canepa (LCR E-Team) completes that second row after a solid performance from the Italian on Saturday; the number 7 just hundredths off the Swiss rider ahead of him on the timesheets. Rookie and second in the Cup standings Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) heads the third row, ahead of a big leap forward for Tommaso Marcon (Tech 3 E-Racing) at Misano as he regains full fitness. The gap between the two was only 0.007!

Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took P9 as he looks for more in 2020, ahead of home hero Alessando Zaccone (Trentino Gresini MotoE), who completes the top ten. The Italian denied Tuuli the honour by just 0.010.

Keep an eye on those a little further back, too. After a dramatic start to his lap losing him time, Sammarinese rider de Angelis finds himself languishing in 16th and looking to move forward, and that couldn’t be more true for Granado either. The Brazilian is the rear gunner on the grid after having his laptime cancelled for exceeding track limits, but he’s had some serious pace at Misano. What can he do in the race?

That’s it from Saturday, make sure to tune into the third MotoE™ race of 2020 at 10:05 local time (GMT+2), with plenty to look out for. As ever, it looks set to be another thriller!

MotoE™ top three
1 Matteo Ferrari – Trentino Gresini MotoE – Energica – 1:43.580
2 Mattia Casadei – Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse – Energica – +0.272
3 Xavier Simeon – LCR E-Team – Energica – +0.372

Matteo Ferrari: “Before this weekend, the penalty for me was a motivation because I was second three times in E-Pole, so in my home GP I wanted pole… and I did it! I’m very happy because during this weekend we’ve tried a new setup. In Jerez we were fast but not compared to first, and we’ve changed the bike a lot and found another way, and for that reason I was fast in E-Pole and in Free Practice.”

Latest News

Unlucky Van Der Mark to Miss Misano Races After Dominating Day One

Michael van der Mark topped the timesheets on the opening day in Misano but unfortunately the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider will sit out the remainder of the weekend, having sustained a fractured right wrist in a heavy crash in the final moments of today’s second free practice session. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, got his Misano weekend off to a flying start, improving his lap time by more than half a second in FP2 to end the day in fourth position, one place ahead of fellow Yamaha rider, Alex Lowes. Marco Melandri made it four Yamahas in the top ten, with his time from FP1 securing the veteran Italian ninth place on the timesheet, while Loris Baz also had to rely on his time from the first of the two free practice sessions to finish 17th.
Having shown his potential with second place in FP1 this morning, van der Mark was the fastest rider on track in FP2. The Pata Yamaha rider looked all set to improve on his previous best time as the session drew to a close, but his flying lap ended with a heavy crash as he exited the final turn. The session was red flagged while circuit medical staff attended to van der Mark by the side of the track, before transporting him to the medical centre.
After further examination in the medical centre van der Mark was diagnosed with concussion, fractures to the radius and trapezium bones in his right wrist and fractures to ribs nine and ten on his right side. The Pata Yamaha rider was transported to Rimini Hospital, where he will remain under observation for 24 hours as a precautionary measure, before undergoing surgery to plate the radius fracture.
“When you see an accident as severe as Michael’s today, it really brings home the risks that all the riders take when they are pushing to the limits,” said Pata Yamaha Team Principal, Paul Denning.
“Thankfully he is ‘basically’ ok, despite injuries that will rule him out of the races this weekend. Of course, this is a huge disappointment for him, the team and for Yamaha because – following Jerez’s superb victory – Michael’s outright pace and consistency here in Misano had set him up to again challenge for the race wins. His parents, girlfriend Nadieh and Andrea Dosoli are with him at the hospital, we know he is in good medical hands and at this moment everybody involved in Yamaha’s WorldSBK project sends Michael all the best wishes and positive energies we can for a swift recovery. His potential is clear and we can’t wait to see Michael back on the R1,” concluded Denning.
It was a solid opening day for the remaining Yamaha riders, despite the hot conditions resulting in a distinct lack of grip compared to the recent two-day test at the circuit. Cortese managed the conditions well and was one of the few riders to improve on his FP1 time in this afternoon’s second free practice session, with the reigning Supersport World Champion ending the day fourth on combined times.
Lowes was satisfied with the progress made today, having spent both practice sessions working on race set-up on used tyres. The Pata Yamaha was missing some feeling from the front of his R1 but is confident that he and his crew can find a solution ahead of qualifying tomorrow.
For Melandri the focus for tomorrow is on improving available grip and the feedback from both the front and rear tyres. The Italian was ninth fastest today but is confident of improvement tomorrow.
Also confident of improvement tomorrow is Ten Kate Yamaha rider Baz who, together with the team, is still learning how to get the best from the Yamaha R1 with which they made their debut last time out in Jerez.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5 – 1’36.380
“The track temperature is a lot higher and the track is more slippery than it was when we were here for the test a few weeks ago. Today we just worked through the program, staying on used tyres, but I still need to find a bit more confidence with the front of the bike. We’ll have a look through the data tonight to find a solution ready for tomorrow, but the main thing is that Michael is relatively okay after what was a big crash in FP2. That’s not how you want to end the day after setting the fastest time but, hopefully, he’ll be back on the bike very soon and I wish him all the best.”

Latest News

Pata Yamaha's Van der Mark Aiming to Repeat Jerez Success in Misano

Yamaha’s R1 riders head into Round 7 of the FIM Superbike World Championship in Misano keen to repeat the success of Jerez, where Michael van der Mark secured his first race win of the season with a dominant ride to victory in Race 2 – a fitting end to a weekend that saw the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider finish as the top points scorer. A resurgent Marco Melandri also added to his podium tally with third place in Race 1 in Jerez, while GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK teammate, Sandro Cortese, secured his best result of his debut WorldSBK season with sixth place in Race 2.
While Jerez proved an unlucky round for Alex Lowes, with a series of incidents seeing him pick up just two points, the 28-year-old Briton’s speed and consistency over the course of the weekend means that he heads to Misano with his sights set firmly on a return to the podium. After a solid debut in Jerez for the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK squad, which culminated in a top ten finish in Race 2, Loris Baz heads to Misano keen to close the gap on his Yamaha mounted rivals.
Van der Mark heads into the Misano weekend riding a wave of confidence, after a stellar performance in Jerez. Podium finishes in both Race 1 and the Superpole Sprint Race proved just a warm-up for the Pata Yamaha rider, who went on to claim his and Yamaha’s first race win of the 2019 season with a dominant ride to victory in Race 2. It’s a performance that the 26-year-old is keen to repeat this weekend in Misano, a track at which all five Yamaha riders tested a few short weeks ago.
Lowes was denied a podium finish in Race 1 when he was the innocent victim in a last lap, last corner incident with Jonathan Rea, for which the reigning World Champion was later penalised. Unfortunate crashes in the remaining two races may have made it a weekend to forget for Lowes, but the 28-year-old Briton showed he had the pace for the podium and, as a result, heads into the Misano race weekend confident he can fight at the front once again
Jerez saw Melandri return to the podium for this first time since the opening race in Australia and, having found a set-up on the GRT Yamaha R1 that better suits his riding style, the veteran Italian is confident that there is more to come. Melandri rates Misano as one of his favourite tracks and he heads to Italy’s Adriatic coast determined to give his home crowd something to cheer about this weekend.
Sixth in Race 2 in Jerez, his best result of the season to date, means Cortese heads into the Misano weekend with the top five firmly in his sights. Like Jerez, Misano is a track the reigning Supersport World Champion knows well and one of the very few circuits at which he’s tested the R1 prior to a race weekend.
Baz rounded out his debut race weekend aboard the Ten Kate Yamaha R1 with a top ten finish in Jerez, a result that Frenchman is keen to build on this weekend in Misano. Baz and the team still face a steep learning curve, after returning to the championship midseason, but the Ten Kate Yamaha rider is confident that their combined experience will stand them in good stead as they work to close the gap on the other four Yamaha riders.
The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is a fast, flowing, and technical track located next to the picturesque town of Misano Adriatico in the province of Rimini, North East Italy. A firm favourite with riders and fans alike, it held its first event in 1972 and has been a permanent fixture on the WorldSBK calendar since 1993. The track underwent extensive modifications in 2006, with the direction reversed so that races now run in a clockwise direction. The iconic track, which is 4.226km in length, comprises ten right and six left-handed corners together with a 510m long start-finish straight.

Onboard Lap YouTube
Michael van der Mark talks through a lap of the Misano World Circuit
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“We had a great weekend in Jerez with two podium finishes and our first race win of the season, so we head to Misano now with a really good feeling. We tested in Misano less than a month ago and, although the weather wasn’t ideal, we got enough dry track time to make things a little easier for us to get up to speed quickly this weekend. We have a really good package now, as we saw in Jerez, so I’m pretty sure we can enjoy another great weekend in Misano and fight once again for podium finishes in all three races.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“After a good test in Misano a few weeks ago, and with speed we showed in Jerez, I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend. We didn’t get the results we were hoping for in Jerez, but rather than going into Misano looking to make amends, I’m going to stick to the working process with my guys that has worked so well for us all year. We showed we had the pace to challenge for the podium in Jerez, so we know we can do the same this weekend in Misano. It’s always a great atmosphere when you race in Italy and, unlike the test, this weekend looks like it’s going to be a scorcher!”