The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship may be in its early stages of the 2023 campaign but, with two rounds in the books, eyes have turned to Europe and the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” has taken advantage of this to officially launch the 2023 Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Being held at the start of June, the Emilia-Romagna Round will be the fifth round of what promises to be an enthralling campaign and Ducati teams and riders were on hand to help launch the round.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), winner of two races at the circuit in 2021 for Ducati, was at the presentation along with Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) as he prepares for his first WorldSBK event at the iconic venue. From WorldSSP, Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it WorldSSP Racing Team) joined the presentation along with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team).
The event was used to officially launch the Emilia-Romagna Round which will take place from June 2nd to 4th and be round five of the 2023 campaign. Hopes will be high for the Ducatisti that they will be able to see a Ducati victory on home turf at Misano both in WorldSBK and WorldSSP after a strong start to the campaign for the Bologna-based manufacturer in both Championships.
Talking about the upcoming round, Andrea Albani, Managing Director of the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, said: “We await a great round in WorldSBK at the Emilia-Romagna Round. We have a good sentiment from our fans and ticketing is going well. The news for the round is we are improving the entertainment in the paddock with a new entry from our official merchandising partner. There will also be a big commercial area where fans can enjoy the WorldSBK experience.”
Giammaria Manghi, Head of the Political Secretariat of the Emilia-Romagna Region Presidency, underlined the great commitment for this Round within a very high-quality regional sporting calendar: “The Emilia-Romagna region firmly believes in the Sport Valley investing in events that are very important for territorial promotion. WorldSBK, alongside MotoGP™, is a great opportunity to value our manufacturers and all the potential that sporting events can offer.”
Speaking about the 2023 Emilia-Romagna Round, Serafino Foti, Team Principal at Aruba.it Racing – Ducati, said: “Misano is our home round. For us, it’s a different atmosphere. The adrenaline is completely different. We have an extra motivation and, for sure, we will try to repeat last year’s results. It will not be easy because Jonathan and Toprak will be really strong but, of course, we will try to do our best.”
Rinaldi, twice a winner at Misano, added: “We are here at Misano to present the new catalogue for the round and I am really proud to be in the picture with Alvaro. For me, it’s a home round. Usually this is a really good track for me. I can be really, really fast here and I feel really good on the bike. With the fans that are cheering for us, plus my friends and family come, it’s an energy that I always and it’s amazing. I will try to win here.”
Petrucci also spoke about what will be his first home round in WorldSBK. He said: “I hope the crowd will be so huge. I already have the experience of a World Championship in the first two rounds in Australia and Indonesia. I missed the fans a lot because, after MotoGP™ in 2020 and 2021 with no public and at the Dakar there is no public. The races are so different. When I went to Australia for my first WorldSBK round, it was so incredible to see, again, all the fans with my t-shirt, my hat and a lot of flags. It was something really, really special. I’m so happy. I think this is the nicest thing, personally, to see a lot of people caring about you. It’s something really nice. I hope, for this round, a lot of people will come.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com