As we wait to see whether Max Biaggi can steal a win off the Race 1 winner Carlos Checa in Race 2 at Imola today, the local Italian crowd has had the pleasure of seeing Michele Pirro win in the Supersport class with his Hannspree Honda bike.
He managed to steal the win from the usual protagonists Kenan Sofuoglu and Eugene Laverty who messed up at the end of the race and handed Pirro the win.
It’s a nice victory at Imola as the Italians say goodbye to the last Superbike Ducati race on home soil.
Race 1 saw an amazing triple Ducati show on the podium with Carlos Checa in first place, followed by Lorenzo Lanzi and Noriyuki Haga.
What a way to bring it home, with Imola providing an exciting spectacle and Ducati proving that it can still compete.
Perhaps it might change some minds in the echelons of the company as to just how precious the superbike is to product development and image, Valentino Rossi or not.
Max Biaggi and Leon Haslam both made mistakes, with Haslam finishing fifth behind Jakub Smrz while sixth place went to Tom Sykes who had the race well wrapped up for most of it.
But on to Max Biaggi – is it pressure or nerves? The extremely experienced rider stuffed-up more than once and in Race 1 has had to content himself with 11th position.
That’s a big disappointment for Aprilia but Race 2 is underway and all will be revealed soon.
The 52 points still held between Biaggi and Haslam have left Aprilia hoping for a party on home ground after the second race.