Baldassarri delighted with first win

Sunday’s Moto2™ race at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini was a dream come true for Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) as he took the first win of his World Championship career and did so in front of a passionate Italian crowd at the Misano circuit.

The win is just the third podium of Baldassarri’s career and his previous best result in Grand Prix racing was the second place which he also achieved on home soil earlier this year at Mugello.

Baldassarri raced with a special U.S. themed September 11th livery at Misano in honour of the memory of those who died in the attacks 15 years ago.

Baldassarri rode a mature race to claw back a gap at the front on Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) who had led much of the race, despite riding with an injured collarbone. As Rins fatigued Baldassarri applied the pressure and forced a late mistake from the Spaniard to take advantage and push through for his maiden triumph.

Lorenzo Baldassarri: “It was really an amazing thing to have won here for the first time, in the circuit dedicated to Marco Simoncelli. It's really a special day with my fan club coming here on a special date that we commemorated with our livery. It was a fantastic race, I still cannot believe it. I realised that Rins had gone off track when I crossed the line. Thanks to everyone, my team, to Giovanni (Cuzari), the VR46 Riders Academy, to my family and to those who came to cheer for us this weekend.”