Franco Morbidelli finishes third, securing his first podium with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in Argentina. Fabio Di Giannantonio also delivered a strong performance, finishing in fifth place.
At Termas de Rio Hondo, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team proves again to be in a great shape and secures its first podium of the season with Franco Morbidelli. The Italian-Brazilian rider delivered an incredible performance, finishing third at the chequered flag and ending a four-year podium drought, marking his first with the team. It was also an outstanding Sunday for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who finished the Argentina GP in fifth place after a series of intense battles throughout the race.
Morbidelli made a strong start from eighth position, quickly recovering and fighting for the top spots. His exceptional race pace allowed him to finish in third place, earning his first podium with the team. With this result, he now sits fourth in the World Standings with 37 points.
Di Giannantonio also had an impressive race, showing his resilience despite not being fully recovered from his injury. He had a strong start and fought fiercely throughout the race, particularly in the final laps, where he was one of the fastest riders on track. Fabio finished in fifth place, improving his position in the World Standings to seventh with 22 points.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is back in action in two weeks for the Americas GP, that will take place in Austin from the 28th to the 30th March.
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“It was a super weekend. We made a massive step forward in Argentina compared to Thailand, we could fight and we were as fast as the top guys. I am very proud of the team, they are incredible and we’re doing an amazing work together. Today’s race was packed with drama somehow, I did a fantastic start, but then I struggled a little bit with the front tyre due to the temperature. But I was able to take my pace to get a Top5, that is good, but I wanted a podium today. I need to train my body this week to arrive in Austin in a good shape.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“It’s fantastic, I was missing this feeling, and getting back to the podium right here in South America is special. We started the weekend struggling a little bit, but the team changed something on the bike and we arrived to Sunday with a really good bike. The performance was great, I could recover many positions. Now it’s important to understand how to have a good performance in time attack too, but it was a great weekend, starting from eighth, the team convinced me to use the soft tyre in the race. They did ad amazing job, I thank them for all the hard work during all the weekend, and I want to dedicate this podium to all the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and the VR46 family.”
PABLO NIETO - TEAM MANAGER
“It was a very hard race. We took the risk on the grid putting the soft tyre. We knew that all Ducatis were using the medium, but the race was fantastic, Franco was very fast and finally we are back on the podium. I am very happy for him because I know he went through hard times. We decided to use the soft tyre for Fabio too, we knew at the end of the race it would have been very hard, but we made a good start and he finished in Top5. That’s a very good result, since he didn’t do any winter test, in Qatar the plan is to be at our 100%.”
