Misano only has one race since, traditionally, the track is flooded after the finish of the MotoGP race, making the Sunday race impossible.
Arriving there after the Brno rounds, there were still 4 young drivers who could claim to be titled this year, with 3 more events to complete. At least theoretically, because Marc Garcia having broken a finger since Brno, he has to skip this Italian round and only Sasaki, Viu and Fernandez can still win the title.
It is precisely the latter, Raúl Fernández, who dominates almost all of the tests, before being overtaken in the last seconds by Ayumu Sasaki then, a little more surprisingly, by Mattia Casadei, the local of the event.
Mattia Casadei: “Since the Red Bull Ring, I have found good settings for the bike and I have more and more confidence with the bike. Now, she's not perfect but I understand her and it's OK for me, I have a good feeling with her and I didn't have to go to the limit during qualifying. I think I can have a really good race.”
Leader of the championship with 26 points ahead, Ayumu Sasaki knows there are 75 left to distribute and begins to feel the pressure: “It was a little more difficult today than in the other races. I was a little nervous, I know I always have to score big points and I wasn't comfortable with the bike settings. We changed them a lot during the day and it was only at the end that we got a better bike and I was able to adjust and ride well.”
“Congratulations to Casadei for his home pole, well done. But I will fight with him for victory; I won’t be nervous tomorrow.” he adds with a smile.
The next day, Saturday, 6 of them broke away and fought for victory: Viu, Toba, Florido, Sasaki, Fernandez and Skinner. The six young drivers crossed the checkered flag in less than 3 tenths, but the leading trio is quickly downgraded for having crossed the limits of the track on numerous occasions.
So, it's still Sasaki who pulls the chestnuts from the fire by granting himself an unexpected victory but which ultimately increases its lead in the championship to 31 points before the last two races…
Ayumu Sasaki: “I started with the idea of winning but I changed my mind halfway through the race. I realized that everything was so crazy that if I tried to win, I would probably fall. So I was happy to race with Rory (Skinner) and Florido, because they were more reasonable and it was satisfying to be fifth.”
On the verge of tears, Sasaki was clearly very emotional and certainly not a happy winner in parc ferme: “It wasn't a fair race for me and it wasn't a fair result for the other guys either. This is not how it should be. Now I just have to focus on Aragon and win there to win the championship.”
The last two races will take place next Saturday and Sunday in Aragon.
