CIV MUGELLO, ROUND 1: GREAT SHOW ON THE FIRST DAY Scarperia, April 6th 2013 – On the Tuscan circuit of Mugello the opening round of the Italian Championship 2013 was held today. No consequences for the rain of yesterday, with riders racing on dry track in all the events. SBK: ARGENTINE HYMN ON THE PODIUM – Leandro Mercado is the winner of the first round of 2013 Superbike CIV. The Argentine rider, on Team Pedercini Kawasaki, showed from the beginning that he was stronger than his opponents. He made a very good start and immediately built a small gap. Four riders behind started a great forcing: Sebastien Gimbert (BMW – Thevent Racing Team), Michele Magnoni (BMW – GM Racing by Play Racing), La Marra (Ducati – Barni Racing Team) and Corradi (Aprilia – New M2). These five riders formed a formidable group and they characterized the opening race of the season with continuous overtakings, contacts and limit-breakings. Five riders on four different bikes played the best spirit of the new Superbike tricolored championship. At the end young Mercado was the winner: thanks to a perfect guide in the final meters he managed to keep some meters between himself and his opponents, and passed the checkered flag with over three-tenths of advantage. “I tried to go away, but they caught me up,” Mercado said. “Luckily I managed to keep the lead and win. I’m very happy and want to thank my team.” Behind him, a particularly strong Alessio Corradi, who sealed a fast recovery and booked a place as a protagonist of 2013. First podium of the season for Eddi La Marra: in the final laps he could not reject Emilian Corradi’s attack but he managed to end up third. Gimbert and Magnoni were authors of a good proof and closed the race in this order. MOTO3: LOCATELLI WINS A TREE-RIDERS FIGHT – Three drivers monopolized the first race of Moto3. The Lombard Andrea Locatelli (Mahindra Racing), Stefano Valtulini on Honda Five Racing AX52, and Luca Marini from Pesaro, on FTR rider Twelve Racing, created a big gap between themselves and their opponents from the early laps. Like the previous race of Superbike, Moto3 was an exciting race, characterized by a neverending series of passes for the top positions. Thanks to a perfect last lap, at full throttle, Locatelli won the race, and crossed the finish line seven tenths ahead of Valtulini and Marini, who completed the podium. “I am very happy with this result,” the winner said. “I thought I had to try to win just before the finish line but I anticipated it all at the latest corner and I won without problems. For the race of tomorrow we will work to set up the bike even better.” Stefano Manzi, Wayne Ryan and Andrea Migno battled up to the end to enter the top five. STOCK 600: A CONFIRMATION BY TATASCIORE – He had proved to be the strongest at the end of qualifying and confirmed it at the end of the first race of the season. Manuel Tatasciore, the young talent from Abruzzo who races on the Yamaha of Bike and Motor Racing Team, won a difficult race, spectacular from start to finish. He had a good start, followed by Caloroso (who had some difficulties in the latest rounds) and Mercandelli, who in the final was able to defend himself by Mattia Cassani’s strong return. After losing ground at the start, Cassani managed to regain the leading trio, engaged a firm fight for the podium and lost the victory for just twenty hundredths of a second. A real triumph, then, for Tatasciore, who now becomes the “reference” for this category. “It ‘s been a great race – Manuel said – and up to the last corner I didn’t know how it would finish. I enjoyed it so much and I’m really satisfied with a victory that I didn’t expect.” On the other hand Cassani (who races for PA.SA.MA Rayo Team), was happy for this race in which he proved his potential on Yamaha. Top performance for Roberto Mercandelli, too: the 19 year old Lumbard rider, catched the podium for the first time after a consistent, concrete race. SUPERSPORT: DIONISI RECOVERS AND WINS – Great comeback and first victory of the season for the Italian Supersport champion, Ilario Dionisi. The rider from Lazio run a perfect race on the reliable Honda by Scuderia Improve Team. After a great start, he left the wild card Riccardo Russo go ahead: in the early rounds he played the role of the fox on Puccetti Racing Team Kawasaki, and then Dionisi’s unbelievable pace did the rest. After gaining ground on the rest of the company, that is on Cruciani, Giansanti, Tamburini and Cottini, Dionisi went to take rider from Campania and, after passing him with a clean, efficient overtaking, he gained the leadership in the final laps, and below the checkered flag he closed the race ahead for nearly one second. “Despite some problems in qualifying, thanks to the good job of the team we’ve been able to bring home this great result”, Ilario said. “Congratulations to Riccardo, I expected he was strong, but not already in the first race of the season.” Russo tried to keep Dionisi’s pace, but at the end he had to settle for a second place, also because of the decline of the tires. For the rider from Campania it was a very good debut in the Supersport class, indeed, and the performance is even more appreciable considering that it arrives just one week before the world stage in Aragon, where he will take part to his first race in World Supersport. A bit of disappointment for Stefano Cruciani (Kawasaki – Puccetti Racing), who was slowed down by crash in practice session, which did not allow him to go beyond the third. Tomorrow at 14:00 the challenges of second round will start. The third and fourth rounds of the season are scheduled from May 24 to 26th at Vallelunga track.