The Pirelli Emilia Romagna round had a fantastic start for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, which celebrated under the podium Alvaro Bautista‘s victory and Michael Rinaldi‘s third place.
After conquering a superb pole position, Bautista was the protagonist of a thrilling duel with Rea (Kawasaki) before finally taking the lead on lap 13 and closing with a wide margin under the checkered flag.
Michael Rinaldi (who started from the fifth position) had an incisive race pace but lost contact with the podium group and eventually had to fight with Bassani (Ducati) for the fourth position. After overtaking the Italian rider, Rinaldi tried to chase Razgatlioglu, who was then forced to stop with five laps to go due to a technical problem. Rinaldi got then a valuable podium in front of his fans.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“It was a good race, and I had a great battle with Jonathan. I have to admit that the feeling with my Ducati has been great since Friday. The higher temperature may have helped me, but I felt I could do well. I am happy because the race pace was really excellent despite never reaching my limit. It’s a special victory for Aruba.it Racing for Ducati and all the fans. I hope I can entertain them tomorrow as well.”
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“I am thrilled with this podium. It is an important result after some rounds below our expectations and in which we could not find the right conditions to be competitive. We decided, together with the team, to change our working method, and the direction taken is certainly the right one. We are still not at 100% of our potential, but today’s race shows that we have made important steps forward.”
Starting from the second position, Nicolò Bulega immediately took the lead. The Aruba.it Racing WSSP team rider seemed to be able to manage the lead, but from mid-race, a problem on the rear didn’t allow him to be incisive in braking areas. Bulega gritted his teeth, but with two laps to go, he had to surrender to Aegerter (Yamaha) and Baldassarri (Yamaha), finishing in P3.
Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WSSP)
“It was a good race. I started very well and even managed to take a wide gap. Unfortunately, from lap 10, I started to have some problems with the rear brake, and I couldn’t maintain the lead. In any case, I had fun today, and I hope tomorrow to be able to feel the same feelings to try to bring home the first win.”
