Luca Marini fought off determined advances from teammate Marco Bezzecchi to take victory at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to the delight of both SKY Racing Team VR46 and their home crowd, Enea Bastianini rounded out the Italian podium celebrations.

A sensational Sam Lowes put on an outstanding display of grit and determination as the British rider fought back from his pit-lane penalty start, gliding through the pack to claim eight at the flag, Jake Dixon finishing just outside the points in 16th.

The San Marino Moto2 race got off to a dramatic start this afternoon even before the lights had gone out as pole sitter Remy Gardner was ruled out of action following a horrific high side at turn 11. The dejected Australian was ruled out after suffering fractures in his left foot and breaking his left thumb in the high-speed incident and is expected to undergo surgery in Barcelona on Monday.

The incident saw the musical chairs for pole position continue with Luca Marini lining up ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Enea Bastianini to create an all-Italian front row for the longest named round of the 2020 season, the Gran Premio Lenovo Di San Marino E Della Riviera Di Rimini.

As the lights went out the Sky VR46 riders retained their control of the pack, immediately taking charge and looking to break away from the group behind. Schrotter the man immediately on the move as he made his way up to third from fifth began a battle with Bastianini as the duo squabbled for position in the opening laps ahead of Xavi Vierge and Thomas Luthi. The latter pushing hard from sixth as he set a fastest lap on the third revolution before Marini bettered his time shortly after as the Italian firmly solidified his lead.

As the grip succumbed under the Rimini heat, a dramatic save left Bastianini to regroup and allowing Bezzecchi a welcome break from the relentless pressure of the pursuing ‘Beast’. The switch in focus paying off for the number 12 as he looked to challenge his teammate, besting Marini for the lead on lap 20, the two VR46 stars enjoyed an intense and hard-fought duel for the closing stages before Marini found his way back to the front after a mistake from Bezzecchi to secure the team a 1-2 finish at its home track.

Vierge crossed the line in fourth having kept the front group in his sights while keeping out of the melee, with Augusto Fernadez, Luthi and Fabio Di Giannantonio for company. Aron Canet and American Joe Roberts rounded out the top-10. Lorenzo Baldassari, Marcos Ramirez, Lorenzo Dalla Porta, Simone Corsi and Nicolò Bulega claiming the final points positions.