Second race at Misano, hitting the top 10

Friday, September 20th - Practices

Torrential rains hit Emilia Romagna on Wednesday and Thursday, drenching the track ahead of the second Misano race weekend and leaving the surface wet for the first session. As the track began to dry, both Matteo Bertelle and David Almansa showcased their wet-weather skills, finishing the free practice with solid pace and consistency, both inside the top 10 and ready to tackle Practice 1 regardless of the conditions.

During Practice 1, the track improved significantly as temperatures rose, allowing riders to set faster lap times. Matteo, however, ended up lower on the timesheets due to a technical issue that prevented him from performing a time attack. David followed closely behind, focusing on fine-tuning the bike ahead of Practice 2.

Saturday, September 21st - Practices and Qualifying

Despite the low temperatures, conditions remained favorable on Saturday morning. Both David and Matteo hit the track with confidence, aiming to secure a time that would position them directly into Q2. Matteo successfully finished the session in 13th place, earning a spot in Q2 on his final lap. David, slightly behind, didn't hit the initial target but stayed motivated, knowing he could push hard in Q1 while maintaining confidence.

Almansa entered Q1 with fast laps right from the start, positioning himself temporarily in 4th. In his second run, he further improved, finishing Q1 in second place, securing his spot in Q2. In this final qualifying session, lap times continued to drop, giving both riders a chance to find a good slipstream. However, neither David nor Matteo managed to complete a fast final lap due to a crash ahead, which brought out a yellow flag, causing their laps to be canceled by regulation.

Sunday, September 22nd - Race

Matteo Bertelle will start the GP from 14th position, while David Almansa will line up in 18th. The race begins with plenty of action, marked by several incidents that put all the riders on high alert. Matteo quickly overtakes a couple of riders, with David also making progress by the end of the first lap.

During the first half of the race, the field spreads out, leaving Bertelle battling for a spot in the top ten and Almansa leading the second group, aiming for points. The race is packed with tight, edge-of-your-seat battles that last for most of the event.

In the final laps, Matteo improves his pace, gaining two more positions on the last lap and finishing the race in 9th, recovering five places. David, with more difficulty, crosses the line in 17th, gaining one position but just missing out on points.

Riders Comment

Despite the positive result, Matteo pointed out some challenges during the race: "I'm fairly happy with the result, but around mid-race, I started to feel the tire drop off, and I couldn't make up more positions. Now we're looking ahead to the Asian rounds with more confidence and always full gas!"

Even though David gained a position, he felt he could have done better: "Compared to the last race, I had less feeling, especially after the first few laps. I had a decent start and felt I could have stayed in the points. I'm a bit disappointed with the final laps because I could have held onto better positions."