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There’s also room for Michael Ruben Rinaldi during the Ducati celebrations at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. In a historically favorable track, the rider from Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna was exalting and concluded his day as “first before the others” behind his indomitable teammate, Alvaro Bautista, at the height of a tough (but loyal) confrontation with Toprak Razgatlioglu ath the start of Race 1.
“I was impressed with the pace I was able to maintain. I’m very satisfied with my performance, eve if I expected a fast Bautista,” the Ducati rider said. “We raced faster than last year and when I won in 2021. That means that our whole package has improved, especially in case of high temperatures like today. That’s a good thing from a championship perspective. Now I want to analyze the data to understand where I can improve in view of tomorrow.”
Rinaldi held fast for 7-8 laps against Bautista, in a state of grace, then he had to loosen his grip: “The goal was to get the start right without daring excessively in the first laps, because I knew I had a good pace. Fortunately’ I didn't get caught up too long in the battle for second place with Razgatlioglu. This allowed me to not waste unnecessary energy and preserve the tires, trying to stay as close as possible to Bautista. Overtaking outside Toprak at the Rio? I’ve never seen an attack like that,” he said jokingly.
The third podium of the season relaunches itself in 2024 for the official Panigale V4 R: “I needed this result since, as you well know, my contract is expiring. I felt a lot of pressure. At the beginning of the last lap, I was only thinking about not making mistakes. Getting on the podium in Misano is always special. There were a lot of friends, fans, and enthusiasts there.”
Meanwhile, the Aruba.it Racing Ducati rider has already marked off the time at 11 am tomorrow morning, when the Superpole Race will start: “It’ll be interesting because on the short distance. There are riders like Razgatlioglu and others who can make the most of the extra grip of the tire. As far as I’m concerned, I think I’ll opt for the SCQ. I expect lots of scuffle on the track. Where do I feel I have the best chance to beat Bautista between the Superpole Race and Race 2? However, in the first one, at the moment, being in front of him is difficult regardless.”
