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The first Production Bike race that took place in Misano rewarded Davide Stirpe. The rider from Rome, born in 1992, made the difference, finishing third in the overall SBK standings on the Garage 51 Racing Ducati V4 and first in the newly formed category that, starting this year, shares the grid with the premier class of the Italian Speed Championship.
"Thinking about a debut like this was difficult, since it's a new category for everyone, but I had dreamt and hoped for it," the reigning Supersport 600 champion admitted. "During the winter, I worked a lot and did a lot of training. I thank Marco di Marcello for this. He allowed me to arrive physically ready, and the change is evident. During the tests, I had already demonstrated that I was progressing. Having Michele Pirro close turned out to be a great advantage for me, because he helped me a lot in the preparation phase. We discussed things on several occasions, and he gave me a big hand in the transition. As for me, I've fixed those three, four things from my old style that don't fit here, so both I and the team arrived prepared."
The Revo Racing Project's Simone Saltarelli was also smiling. He came in second among the Productions and sixth overall. "I'm very happy with the result," the Aprilia rider said. "I'm coming from bikes with few electronic aids and, since it's my twenty-ninth season, I had no problem using the clutch. I adapted well, but we're not quite there, yet. In the first few laps, I overtook Luca Vitali, because he was a little slow, while Davide was breaking away. I tried, but I was at the limit. From the middle of the race on, I managed. The idea of the series is very nice. The young me would've liked to do the SBK, but the mature side prevailed. I expect a long championship."
When asked if Ducati will have an advantage in bad weather tomorrow, he replied: "The rider makes the difference. It's not yet clear what tire we'll be able to use. Certainly, a good choice on the grid could give us the victory. Let's say that, when it's wet, the numbers on the field level off."
Lastly, the Pistard Racing Team's Riccardo Russo came in just one place behind the rider from Modena. "I'm satisfied with the podium since, having raced so far with Yamaha, I hadn't gotten the chance to grind a lot of kilometers with the BMW. There's still a lot to do but, for now, I'm happy," he commented.
