Aegerter and Ten Kate Racing also win in Misano, Taccini fourteenth

Dominique Aegerter ended Saturday’s first World Supersport race of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round in Misano as the winner. It is the sixth consecutive WorldSSP race win for the Ten Kate Racing rider. Teammate Leonardo Taccini finished fourteenth in this first race of the weekend.

The fourth round of the FIM Supersport World Championship is being held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy this weekend. After already finishing the first day in Misano as the fastest rider, Dominique Aegerter was also the fastest on Saturday morning in the Superpole session and started the first race of the weekend from pole position. Leonardo Taccini qualified in twenty-fourth place on Saturday morning during his home race.

Aegerter had a good start from pole and held second place in the race for a long time. In the closing stages, the Swiss rider managed to take over the lead, after which an exciting duel ensued for victory with home rider Lorenzo Baldassarri. Aegerter seemed to have to bow his head and passed the finish line second after eighteen laps. Baldassarri later found out that he had exceeded track limits in turn 15, resulting in a penalty. The Italian was demoted one position after which the victory went to Aegerter who scored his sixth consecutive victory in the class.

Taccini on the other hand had a difficult start from the twenty-fourth place on the grid. The Italian fell back to almost the last place in the field. Taccini came back and fought his way through the field during the eighteen-lap race to finish fourteenth.

Dominique Aegerter (P1): “Of course it is not always easy to win a race. In this race we saw that Nicolo Bulega on his Ducati 955 V2 was very fast and I had trouble passing him. He rode very different lines, so I had to change my riding style and it didn’t make it easier for me. Anyway, on the penultimate lap I managed to pass him and take over the lead. I thought I could hold on to the lead, but on the last lap Baldassarri managed to overtake me. He passed me on the outside and I saw that he went slightly off track. Of course I was not happy with second place and I tried to get back into the lead but it didn’t work out. In the cool down lap I was almost sure that his overtaking would not go unpunished and when I came back to the parc fermé I was right. Later on, together with the guys in the box, we will review the data of this race and who knows we might find something extra for tomorrow’s race. In any case, I’m looking forward to it already.”

Leonardo Taccini (P14): “My start today was horrible, maybe the worst of my whole career. In the first lap I was pretty much in last place. But then I got really angry and had to take some risks to get to the front. I did notice that in the final phase of the race I ran out of energy, so I had to give up a position, but we finished fourteenth and scored two more World Championship points. When I look at how things went yesterday, I think we should be satisfied with this. For tomorrow I hope to find a little bit more – and at least make a better start – and then finish closer to the top ten or maybe even in the top ten at the end of the race.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing team manager: “What a race. I think today was the first race we’ve seen this season where Dominique, Nicolo Bulega and Lorenzo Baldassarri really had to go all the way. We finished second but had a bit of luck on our side at the end as Baldassarri was given a penalty and dropped back a place in the results. Anyway, we made some progress in the battle for the championship in the lion’s den, at the home track of our main Italian competitors. As for Leonardo, I think we should be satisfied on this side of the pit box as well. He crossed the finish line in fourteenth place, again scoring points, and that after a less than satisfactory first day and a less than satisfactory qualifying. It’s these last two things in particular that we need to keep working on, and if we can get that right together then our Italian rider is capable of much more in the races. On to tomorrow.”

Aegerter and Ten Kate Racing take seventh consecutive victory in Misano, Taccini DNF

Dominique Aegerter has also won the second WorldSSP race of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round on Sunday afternoon. It is the seventh victory in a row for the Swiss rider on his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Ten Kate Racing teammate Leonardo Taccini had to retire early from this race due to a foot injury.

After taking victory in Race 1 on Saturday, Dominique Aegerter also won the second World Supersport race of the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round on Sunday afternoon at a warm Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Aegerter had a good start of the race from pole position. Just like the day before, this race ended up in an exciting duel between the Swiss rider and his Italian opponent Lorenzo Baldassarri. It looked as if Baldassarri was going to make a small gap, but Aegerter countered quickly to take the lead. Baldassarri then returned to the lead once more, but in the penultimate lap Aegerter finally made his move and successfully defended his leading position in the final lap to secure his seventh consecutive victory in the class.

Team mate Leonardo Taccini had less luck in this race. The Italian had to deal with a nasty foot injury during the race that made it almost impossible for him to shift gears and he had no choice but to park his Ten Kate Racing Yamaha in the pit box early.

Dominique Aegerter (P1): “It was not an easy race today, but we managed to score pole position, two wins and the fastest lap (a new lap record) again this weekend. I had to work really hard today. Yesterday we had a bit of luck on our side but today the pace was very high. Almost every lap was in the 1’37 range and Baldassarri was riding very strong. I was able to attack successfully on the penultimate lap, take over the lead and hold it until the finish to take my seventh victory in a row. It might seem easy but it’s not, the level of racing in WorldSSP today is very high. We’ll have to stay focussed even though we managed to extend our lead in the championship to 54 points on the number two. The season is still long and anything can happen. Now it’s time for a little celebration here, but then we’ll focus again on the next race weekend.”

Leonardo Taccini (DNF): “It was not our race today. I got a lot of pain in my foot during the race and at one point I couldn’t upshift. I don’t know what the problem is. When I return to Rome I will have it looked at, but at the moment I have a lot of pain. It’s a real shame that my home weekend here in Misano has to end this way. I had hoped for something completely different but I can’t change it now.”

Kervin Bos – Ten Kate Racing team manager: “Seven in a row, that’s incredible. Especially here in the lion’s den because we know the Italians are always very fast here. Hats off to Dominique but certainly to the guys in the team. Together they know how to push each other to an incredibly high level. I am really very happy that we have been able to achieve this, besides that we also leave here with a lead of 54 points in the championship. We know the season is still long, we know anything can happen, but it’s best to have them in the bag. As for Leonardo, I am really sorry that he had to give up early on due to physical discomfort. A problem with his left foot made it impossible for him to shift gears safely and that’s it. It is a pity that this happens during his home weekend. Hopefully it’s not too bad and we can continue to build with him during the next race weekend. We continue to believe in Leonardo’s qualities as a rider, we know he has the potential despite the ups and downs.”