If there was a Ducati that caught the eye in Misano that afternoon, it was Michael Rinaldi’s red one. On the Misano track, the Romagna rider maintained his superiority so much that he ended the free practice session with one swing.
He couldn’t have started the weekend better, on a track that holds very few secrets for someone like him.
“Come on, this first day didn’t go badly – he said – unfortunately it’s just free practice. After a complicated start to the championship, I found the right confidence on the track today and managed to be quick. Here in Misano I wanted to work step by step without being in a hurry. For this morning I was a bit disappointed as I couldn’t ride the bike the way I wanted to.
In fact, Michael had to find the right feeling with his Panigale.
“I was tired this morning and couldn’t drive the way I wanted. But the team helped me find a good solution. In fact, in the afternoon I managed to be fast at racing pace and experience the real sensations. “
Certainly the Aruba driver is starting to dream big in Misano and his optimism is justified.
“After free practice I can say that I’m one of the fastest and that I can try to fight for victory. I’m sure Scott can take a win here at Misano, as can Rea and Toprak. So we’ll see what happens ”.
Dall’Igna also appeared in the Aruba box today …
“I saw Gigi, he came here to Misano and it was a pleasure to speak to him. He’s a person who knows how to listen and he also showed a lot of attention when I spoke to my crew chief. Of course he can’t be here in the SBK with MotoGP, but today it was important to have him with us. “
I understand that there is a pact between the two of you …
“Today I was the first and he told me that he wouldn’t come back tomorrow because, according to Gigi, I don’t need him. However, we agreed that if I had problems tomorrow, he would return on Sunday. At this point, however, I hope that he doesn’t come on Sunday (he jokes) ”.
As already mentioned, Rinaldi immediately showed a lot of self-confidence in free practice, also thanks to the work in the tests.
“In the tests we did a different type of work and focused on a different setup. Here we started from a different base and the sensations turned out to be encouraging “.
He had one last comment for Redding and a possible help in tomorrow’s race …
“This is only the third race of the world championship and the championship is long. If I don’t have to fight for the title at the end of the season, I would be ready to help him. But as I said, this is only the third race, I’m fighting for the title and going my own way. “