Adrian Huertas wins race 1 by overtaking Yari Montella on the finishing straight. Stefano Manzi closes the podium
from Misano Adriatico
Adrian Huertas and Yari Montella made the spectators understand that a race can be beautiful even without overtaking. The two challenged each other in a very close battle, in which a minimal mistake at the most important moment was enough to completely change the final result. Misano truly gave us what we could paraphrase as “Moto Champagne”.
The Supersport World Championship enters its central part with the fourth round of the 12 scheduled, the Emilia Romagna Round at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The hierarchies of the intermediate class are yet to be written and it seems that the route located on the Riviera could be the author of the first pages.
The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was inaugurated in 1972. The then Santa Monica Autodrome has undergone numerous changes over the years, which have enlarged and modernized it. The current shape and meaning are the result of a major renovation that took place in 2007, while the layout appears unchanged from the following year. In the 4,200 km that make up one lap, there are short straights interspersed with long sequences of curves, 16 in total, 10 on the right and 6 on the left. Misano appeared in Supersport in all editions except those dated 2009, 2013 and 2020 (skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
34 drivers show up at the start. Jorge Navarro and Lorenzo Baldassarri swap places, with the Spaniard moving onto the Orelac Ducati and the Italian going onto the WRP-RT Triumph. Van Wikselaar and Smits, the wild cards from Assen, do not confirm their commitment to Misano. The two vacant places are filled on this occasion by Luca Ottaviani, rider of the MV Agusta of Extreme Racing Service, and Alessandro Sciarretta, who brings the Ducati of ZPM Motorsport Racing to the track. Both come from the CIV Supersport 600.
The race
McPhee starts from the back of the grid due to irregular tire pressure. Montella took a divine start and immediately prevailed over Huertas and Manzi. The Ducatisti immediately escape from the Italian in P3, who is soon caught up by Debise.
There are many falls. On the second lap the race loses Giannini to the Rio and Oncu to the Quercia, while on the fourth they fall to the Variante del Parco Sarmoon and Power and to the Carro 3 Booth-Amos, which has to leave the session early due to a loss of traction during the acceleration.
The list of those withdrawn has not yet ended. Sofuoglu and Corsi collide at the Quercia on the eighth lap and fall disastrously. The same fate befell McPhee at Misano 2 on the tenth lap. The Englishman was thus unable to finish a match that had started in the worst possible way.
Endless hell for Antonelli. The home driver immediately gets a double long lap for dangerous driving, but only serves one. The race management thus decides to let him do a ride through. The Italian, however, exceeds the maximum speed allowed in the pit lane and, consequently, he is notified of two more long laps, which he completes correctly.
Huertas remained behind Montella for 18 laps, in which neither of them gave up an inch. At the last corner, however, the Italian skids slightly on exit, and this allows the Spaniard to launch alongside him and overtake him in the sprint.
Adrian Huertas wins Supersport race 1 in Misano in spectacular fashion. The Spaniard from Ducati Aruba is followed on the podium by Yari Montella and Stefano Manzi. Debise, Navarro, Schroetter, Caricasulo, Bayliss, Tuuli, Van Straalen, Ottaviani, Edwards (first in the SSP Challenge), Fuligni, Baldassarri and Mahias close the points.
Adrian Huertas is unstoppable. Ducati was right to focus on the twenty-year-old from Madrid, who has just achieved his third success of the season (and career). Those who complain about the lack of young people in Superbike just have to wait: this Spanish boy is almost ready to make the leap in quality.
The results of the race
The results of Supersport race 1 in Misano
The general ranking
The Supersport ranking at the end of race 1 in Misano
Adrian Huertas expands, albeit slightly, his leadership in the world championship. The Spaniard (111) has only 6 points ahead of Montella and 10 over Manzi. Tom Edwards, sixteenth at 19, is the undisputed leader of the Challenge class. Ducati (158) leads the constructors’ classification but not the team, in the hands of Ten Kate Yamaha (153).
Next appointments
Saturday in Misano is coming to an end, but the program is not over yet. Game 1 of WCM will resume at 4.00 pm. It will be followed at 4.40pm by the same Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup session. The Supersport will return to the track tomorrow for Warm Up 2 at 10.00am and race 2 at 3.15pm. The paddock will then move to Donington Park, where the UK Round will take place between 12 and 14 July. In addition to Superbike, WCM, Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup, Kawasaki British Superteen and BMW F 900 R Cup will also be on track.
Media: Aruba Racing
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