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Emilia Romagna, land of passion and engines: this old adage, which has become a real culture slogan in recent years, really lived up to its name at the Misano Superbike weekend, where the Bolognese Ducati won thanks to local man Marco Melandri, a pairing considered to be the “underdog” by the critics, silenced after the hundredth win by an Italian in yesterday's race 2.
Fear for Chaz Davies, transported to hospital on Saturday after the incident with Rea, and passion when, on Sunday, the Welshman was back in the garage to watch his team-mate.
THE GOOD - Great to see such success again for Marco Melandri, a rider who was first lapping at the Misano track when it was still the Santamonica. Hired at the end of last season, the Italian, after a year's break, received a lot of criticism from people who considered his career to be already over: he worked hard, he got to know the fast but complicated Panigale R, and after a few podiums, has brought it it victory, awarding Ducati win number 333 in the production-derived series.
It was also great to see the Ducati staff visiting Davies at Rimini hospital after his crash; increasingly Italian, on Sunday the rider was back in the Aruba garage to support Melandri, celebrating with him after the win. Those who think: “your team-mate is your main rival" would have to reassess in this case.
THE UGLY - The terrible accident between Davies and Rea. The Northern Irish rider found the ducatista under the wheels of his Kawasaki and he couldn't to anything to avoid him. Hit between the back and the neck by the world champ's ZX10RR, Chaz, high on adrenaline, wanted to restart but then gave in to the pain. After being transported to hospital, there was fear for his condition, but it appears that Chaz will only require a period of rest in order to be able to compete at Laguna Seca.
THE BAD - Johnny Rea is a serious, professional, focused rider who is cold to the right degree. a true Brit. In the races, Johnny always shows the grit and courage typical of UK racers but with the engine of he's back to his normal self: a father who brings his wife and kids to race, dedicates himself to them when he's finished racing and is always friendly with the crowds. Saturday, post-race, Rea was worried about his rival. On Sunday, Johnny was in the Ducati garage talking to the Welshman and checking he was OK. Bad? Only from a sporting point of view.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT - What a bad time for the Honda Superbike team… the Fireblade, as we knowing, is proving to be a flop. The tragedy of Nicky Hayden, having occurred just a short distance from the Misano track, plunged the team into despondency, with hospitality kept closed and no statements released to the press. It's a very difficult period for the Japanese manufacturer, its worst in Superbike. When will they come out of the tunnel?
THE CONFIRMATION- once again it was the Kawasaki and Ducati riders to take the wins, making the most of their technical and organisational supremacy. Sykes won race 1, Melandri the second. Team Provec and team Aruba line up with the best riders on track. The top four positions in the standings that they currently hold are more than deserved.
THE PASS - Considering all the classes, we saw many great passes; the most spectacular were those of Kenan Sofuoglu in Supersport. His adversaries Cluzel, Mahias and Jacobsen couldn't do anything to stop the Turk's hunger for success. Is the Kawasaki rider's sixth title coming ever closer?
THE ERROR - committed by Melandri himself. Sunday's hero could have also done well on Saturday when, unexpectedly, he found himself in a podium position on the last lap, after the contact between Davies and Rea. As Marco himself admits, passion got the better of him, but #33 definitely knew how to make up for it the day after.
THE SURPRISE- Finally, we saw some outsiders running at the front. Van Der Mark led race 1 until the rear tyre issue, on Sunday Jordi Torres was on track to bring his Althea BMW to the podium, before suffering a technical problem, and a solid seventh place for Raffaele De Rosa. Are these the first signs of a reawakening?
THE INTERESTING FACT- The lenticular wheel tested on Chaz Davies' Panigale was a detail we'd already seen on Pirro's Desmosedici GP; known as the "wheel cover", Ernesto Marinelli sustains that it is very useful in limiting turbulence along the straight and optiising the penetrative coefficient. That may be true, but why only use it in the Superpole and not the race too?
I TOLD YOU SO .- Walking around the paddock and fields, the public had a clear prediction at Misano: “who will win? Melandri”. They were spot on. There were not a huge number of fans, but those that came, came prepared.
