The Misano round of the Supersport world championship is decidedly satisfying for the Italian team, which sees a brilliant weekend with a hat-trick in Race 1 and a very close repeat, prevented only by Marcel Schrotter. Nicolò Bulega prevailed on Saturday, preceding Stefano Manzi and Federico Caricasulo to close the podium. On Sunday, however, it is the Ten Kate standard-bearer who gets the better of the championship leader and the German astride the MV Agusta.
The Italian flag flies high in Race 1, where the Bulega-Manzi-Caricasulo trio puts on a show in an incredible tussle: the world leader remains a bit delayed at the start, but comes back up to fight for the triumph, which he takes with over a second ahead of Stefano Manzi, great protagonist of the first heat together with the Althea team driver. Italy monopolized the podium in Race 1, relegating title contender Marcel Schrotter to fourth position.
Great satisfactions also at the foot of the podium, with Yari Montella in fifth position and Simone Corsi sixth. The Roman rider takes part in the Misano round as a wild card and is definitely in good shape, conquering an excellent top 6 ahead of Glenn van Straalen, seventh. Jorge Navarro is eighth, while Niki Tuuli and Lucas Mahias close the top 10, ninth and tenth respectively with the latter busy replacing the injured Can Oncu.
So the other Italians: Nicholas Spinelli is 12th ahead of Andrea Mantovani, 14th, and Federico Fuligni, 15th. Saturday afternoon to forget for Raffaele De Rosa and Marco Bussolotti, who ended the race early. The latter, like Simone Corsi, is engaged in Misano as a wild card (the first two in the CIV standings can take part in the world championship as wild cards).
In Race 2 the values in the field are confirmed, but this time Stefano Manzi takes the top step of the podium, achieving his first victory. The Ten Kate team driver fights hard with Bulega and the two engage in an incredible duel that leaves one breathless until the checkered flag. It was Manzi who prevailed, mocking the championship leader for an all-Italian one-two. Marcel Schrotter is there to “ruin” the tricolor party on Sunday at Misano. The German is third, but brings an Italian bike, the MV Agusta, to the podium.
Federico Caricasulo remains at the foot of the podium, fourth at the finish line. Simone Corsi is confirmed in great dust, sixth with the Yamaha of the AltoGo team and present as a wild card. Between the two fits Adrian Huertas, fifth. If Schrotter gets on the podium, his teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu struggles more, who is seventh at the checkered flag ahead of Nicholas Spinelli, eighth. Lucas Mahias and Niki Tuuli close the top 10, ninth and tenth respectively.
So the other Italians: Marco Bussolotti is 14th and precedes Andrea Mantovani, 15th with the Yamaha of the Evan Bros team, and Federico Fuligni, 18th. Difficult weekend at home for Raffaele De Rosa, who also struggles in Race 2 and is 26th. Yari Montella retired.
