The Superpole session was a successful one for Vannucci, who qualified second on the grid. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) also showed good pace for a third row spot with seventh. When the race came around it was a two-way fight between Vannucci and Geiger. The pair battled it out from start to finish, pulling a gap on the next group, but a fiercely determined Vannucci wasn’t ready to let a home win slip away. On the last lap the pair swopped places around Imola’s twists and turns in a thrilling display, but it was the Italian who came out on top by just +0.090. Brazil’s Maier managed a fifth place finish and a handful of useful points on his R3.
WorldSSP300 Championship leader Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) struggled while embroiled in the second group battle, but he nevertheless finished seventh to keep his advantage in the standings heading into Sunday’s Race 2.
