The season truly comes to an end when the Champions 100km takes place at Valentino Rossi’s Ranch. An event that this year has reached its eleventh edition and that, despite being an event “between friends”, continues to rise to the next level, not only on the track but also in organization and inventiveness.
So much so that this year there have not only been the usual races (American and in pairs) but the Sprint race has also been introduced, a quick test and a system to configure the pairs through a “secret algorithm” in which Gold level pilots, specialists in the ranch, were paired with the Silvers, those who have the least experience at Valentino’s house.
But returning to the action on the track, after a Thursday of free practice, the timed rounds and the three Sprints arrived. Just in one of them came the big scare of the weekend, with Mattia Pasini touching Tito Rabat and then hitting the ground violently, leaving him unconscious. Although he regained consciousness there, the Italian was evacuated by helicopter to the Ancona hospital, where after spending a few hours under observation he was discharged and returned home.
Finally, Valentino Rossi brought the “youngsters” to heel in the Sprint, achieving victory ahead of Luca Marini and Elia Bartolini. The American race was also held on the same Friday, where Elia Bartolini was the great dominator ahead of Diogo Moreira and Nicolò Bulega. In this case Valentino, one of the great specialists in the American racing category, was left out at the start after a collision with Moreira.
The main course, the 100 km of the Champions was decided at the last moment
The beginning of the 100 km of Champions race held the first twist in the script. Valentino’s teammate, Mattia Casadei, was involved in a crash in which two riders crashed in front of him. He could not avoid their motorcycles and in the fall the bike broke in such a way that he could not return to the competition. So Vale himself was left out of the race without even running, although he went out to ride out of competition.
Without Rossi, the race was in play until the end between Baldassari/Miller and Bagnaia/Fernández with unusual tension. In the penultimate bike change, Augusto was not ready when Pecco arrived, so they lost 5 seconds and left Miller in the lead until his Yamaha stopped. Bagnaia returned to the lead, but Luca Marini, like a beast, was cutting time until when he reached the wheel of the three-time World Champion, he crashed, leaving the victory on a plate to the Bagnaia/Fernández duo. Diego Moreira and Filippo Fuligni finished second, and Luca Marini and Matteo Patacca third.
Curiously, in a year that has been complicated for Bagnaia, he has achieved his first victory in the 100 kilometers of Champions. Even so, it seems that this choice of couples will not be repeated, according to Valentino himself, who was left without running his own race.
