Vannucci Holds off Diaz in Epic WorldSSP300 Final Lap Showdown at Misano

11-06-2022

Vannucci Holds off Diaz in Epic WorldSSP300 Final Lap Showdown at Misano

Having soared to his first pole position in the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship class, Matteo Vannucci held off a late charge from bLU cRU graduate Alvaro Diaz to take his maiden victory at the Misano World Circuit ‘Marco Simoncelli’.

Vannucci, who was the first-ever pole-sitter in the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup here last year, smashed the lap record in qualifying on a 1’48.501, 0.193s clear of his nearest competitor.

The Italian initially dropped into third at the start of the race, but by the second lap he hit the front again and began to build a gap to those behind. By the 10th lap, Vannucci’s lead was up to two seconds, before the fast-charging Diaz started to reel him in.

On the final two laps, the two exchanged positions out front and as they headed towards the finish line Vannucci just held on to take victory, with Spanish youngster Diaz 0.020s behind, having started from 13th on the grid.

Alfonso Coppola almost made it a Yamaha 1-2-3, with the Italian rider finishing just 0.091s behind the podium places in fourth.

For Race 1 results, click here.

Matteo Vannucci: P1

It’s a special day and win for me because I’m at my home circuit. During the race, I tried to push hard in the first lap to build a gap and manage the rest of the race. At the end I was able to win by just 0.02 seconds, it was a very good finish. I want to thank my team, family, sponsors, and fans. I will try to win again tomorrow, so we will work towards this.

Alvaro Diaz: P2

It was a very good race for the championship, I achieved the unthinkable. It was difficult in the final lap, because I used a lot of rubber at the start. It was a very hot race and I think the next one will be the same. I am very happy because I am only two points away from the top of the championship. The last six or seven laps the tyres degraded very quickly, and that made it difficult for me because the bike kept sliding, but it was like this for everyone. It’s the second or third time I lose by a very short margin, and I don’t know why this keeps happening to me but if I work on being better in the last lap, I think I will be able to win again.