The second home weekend: Misano and the story of the San Marino GP

Friday, September 11th

Nicola Carraro immediately felt the home atmosphere, and despite the track still being damp from the residual rain overnight, he started the session with strong and consistently improving lap times, moving into the Top 3 within the first few laps. Jesus Rios took a more cautious approach, using the opening laps of his first run to get to grips with the circuit and the particularly challenging conditions. After a pit stop for both riders, Carraro continued to push, setting several fast laps and remaining in the leading positions during the final stages of the session, which he finished in 5th place. Rios also managed to improve his fastest lap, finishing the session in 11th position at the chequered flag.

The track was completely dry for the second session of the day, allowing the riders to significantly lower their lap times compared to the morning. The work of the Snipers riders was divided into three different runs, with two returns to the pits dedicated to making the first adjustments in fully dry conditions. Neither rider focused particularly on the fastest lap, instead prioritising race pace and bike setup. Jesus Rios completed a total of 15 laps across the three runs, setting his fastest time on his penultimate lap. A positive indication that confirms the good work carried out and a constantly improving feeling both with the bike and the circuit. Nicola Carraro also set his fastest lap on his penultimate lap before the chequered flag, confirming increasingly positive sensations and further progress throughout the session.

Saturday, September 12th

An unexpected rainfall on Saturday morning changed the team’s work plan ahead of FP2, forcing the riders to tackle a wet track and completely different conditions from the dry conditions expected for the second day. Free Practice 2 was therefore used to look for new solutions in the wet, with Nicola Carraro completing 15 consecutive laps without returning to the pits, focusing on consistency and the behaviour of the bike in the different track conditions. Jesus Rios, on the other hand, made just one pit stop, using the session to test new solutions and build his confidence in the wet. Useful work also with a view to the future, despite both qualifying and the race being expected to take place in dry conditions.

The 15 minutes of Q1 were used to the maximum by the team, with the aim of securing one of the first four positions required to progress to Q2. Nicola Carraro tackled the session with two three-lap runs, separated by a tyre change, managing to set his best reference on his final available lap. However, it was Jesus Rios who took centre stage during the decisive stages of Q1: the young Spaniard improved his time and moved into 4th position, securing access to Q2 and the chance to fight for the top positions on the grid.

Q2 took an unfortunate turn for Rios, who managed to complete just one flying lap before crashing, preventing him from returning to the track for his final attempts. Despite the difficulties, the only timed lap he completed allowed him to secure 17th place on the starting grid.

Sunday, September 13th

A difficult race was expected for the Snipers riders, with Nicola Carraro forced to start from the back of the grid and Jesus Rios required to serve a long lap penalty, due to penalties handed to both riders during qualifying.
Rios, however, made a very strong start, immediately recovering several positions in the opening laps and showing great speed from the early stages, which he had to make the most of before serving his penalty.
Carraro’s race ended prematurely after he was involved in an incident caused by another rider who hit him at Turn 14, forcing the Snipers rider to retire through no fault of his own.

Jesus Rios served his long lap penalty on lap three, when he was running in 13th position, rejoining the track at the back of the field. The Spanish rider then tried to make the most of his speed during the middle stages of the race, but had to deal with a classification that had already quickly spread out, with significant gaps between the different groups of riders making the recovery more difficult.

Rios still managed to recover several positions after serving his penalty, eventually finishing the race in 20th position. The team can nevertheless take away the confidence that once again they showed the speed which, without the difficulties related to the penalties and the starting position, could have allowed them to fight for much more important positions.

Comments

Not the race Nicola Carraro was expecting:
“I knew I had to recover positions in the race, but I felt ready to give it my all. Unfortunately, another rider hit me at Turn 14 and I couldn’t even complete the first lap. I’m really sorry to leave Misano like this.”

Unlucky weekend for Jesus Rios, who was unable to capitalise on the good pace he showed:
“The penalty and the crash in qualifying had a major impact on the race. I felt very fast and I knew I could recover positions in the race. Unfortunately, the group spread out immediately and after serving the long lap, I had little margin to make up positions despite the speed. Now we’re looking ahead to next week in Austria, and the team and I are ready to do well.”