The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team finished the Sprint of the San Marino and the Rimini Riviera GP in fourth position with Fabio Di Giannantonio. Franco Morbidelli was twelfth.
The Sprint of the San Marino and the Rimini Riviera GP ended with a fourth-place finish for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team with Fabio Di Giannantonio, who scored important points. It was a more challenging home Saturday for Franco Morbidelli, who finished the Sprint in twelfth position.
Despite a crash – luckily without consequences – in the closing stages of Qualifying, Di Giannantonio managed to secure fourth position (1’30”386). In the Sprint, Fabio made a strong start from the second row, and he could immediately move into the Top3. The rider from Rome battled throughout the 13-lap race, showing a strong pace. However, it was not enough to secure a Sprint podium, and Di Giannantonio crossed the finish line in fourth position, just four tenths away from the Top3. He is now fourth in the World Standing with 214 points.
After once again securing direct passage to Q2, Morbidelli finished qualifying in eighth place (1’30”643). However, a difficult start from the third row made Franco’s Sprint more challenging, as he lost five positions. The Italian-Brazilian rider then fought to return to the Top10 from thirteenth position, crossing the finish line in twelfth place. Morbidelli is currently sixteenth in the World Standing with 53 points.
The San Marino and the Rimini Riviera GP will conclude tomorrow with the main race, which will start at 2:00 p.m. (local time).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“Definitely, we are a bit disappointed because at Misano we always want something more than fourth place. The crash compromised us in Qualifying, but in the Sprint we made the most of the bike’s potential. I made a good start and tried to be aggressive from the very first lap so I could stay with the two riders ahead, but they were faster. I was pushing really hard, but then I was too much on the limit and it was easy to make a mistake, so I decided to manage the situation. For the race, we’ll try to make a change and, with a small improvement, we can try to fight for the podium. We’ll give it another go tomorrow.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“Unfortunately, today we weren’t able to maintain the pace we had shown yesterday on both tyre compounds. Today, the conditions in the Sprint were slightly different and that didn’t allow us to confirm our performance. Throughout all 13 laps, I tried to gain positions and put on a good show in front of the fans, but I wasn’t able to do it. Still, I enjoyed the race. Tomorrow, the race will be more complicated: usually, we struggle a little more with the pace on Sundays. On top of that, I’ll have to serve a Long Lap Penalty. But we’re ready to get out on track in front of our home crowd, who will give us an extra boost.”
