Rinaldi: “Goal is to win my home race but Bautista looks really strong”

The question that many have been unable to answer so far this season, which is, can anyone beat the reigning WorldSBK champion.

Aside from a crash in the Superpole Race at Mandalika, Bautista has won all 11 races that he’s completed, which is why Rinaldi feels as though winning in front of his home crowd at Misano will be a complicated assignment. 

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"I love Misano and I love racing in my home track," said Rinaldi after the recent test. "This test meant a lot because, for sure, because you need to get the feeling. 

"We had a great feeling in Barcelona but we need to confirm it also here. It’s so important to be fast and consistent in this track. 

"The goal is always to win. But this year Alvaro looks really, really strong. All the races he’s finished, he won. I will try to win my home race, but let’s see."

It’s not just Bautista who has strong race pace in Misano though, as Toprak Razgatlioglu was another standout from the two-day test.

After a weather-impacted final day, Rinaldi said: "We were lucky with the weather because the forecast was definitely worse. We completed a lot of laps, working on the set-up and the feeling was very positive. 

"The race pace in dry conditions was strong, on the same level as Alvaro and Toprak (Razgatlioglu, Yamaha). 

"One aspect we still have to improve on is the feeling with the new tyre. With the used ones, on the other hand, things went very well. 

"We also lapped in wet conditions to collect data that we can use in the future."

If Rinaldi does become a winner for the first time this season at Misano, then being fully fit will be a big reason as to why.

After his accident in Catalunya with Axel Bassani, Rinaldi was seen with ice on his right hand, similar to Assen when he burnt his hand due to an issue with his Panigale V4 R.

This time the ice pack was because of fears he had broken bones in his hand, which ultimately was not the case as he now expects to be fully recovered for next month’s Misano round. 

"For the round I think yes," said Rinaldi. "During the weekend [Catalunya], after the crash, I went to the medical centre for an X-ray. 

"I didn’t have any broken bones but I had a big hematoma on my hand and everybody said to me you can ride but be careful and get some rest. 

"But here we are with two days of testing. They said to do an MRI to check the bones but I said I would test and then check. I would not miss this test in any case."