Aruba Ducati’s Michaelo Rinaldi took his maiden WorldSBK win of 2021 at Misano this afternoon after a near-crash from Jonathan Rea allowed him to make the break he needed.
The Italian, who was born close to track, took the lead on lap one and after a top-pack dust up, had Rea for company but the Kawasaki then had to pull off a Marquez-style save when he lost the front and had to roll through the gravel.
Losing time and one place to eventual second placed rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha) Rea was a safe third.
Scott Redding (Aruba Ducati) another potential winner in the early laps, was fourth but over ten seconds behind his team-mate.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing), without the same race pace of the leading few, scored fifth.
Alvaro Bautista (HRC Honda) was sixth, recovering places through the race, but he only just won a final lap joust with privateer rider Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Ducati) who took a career-best seventh.
Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad) lost his chance of a sixth place finish, despite occupying that position for much of the race, and he was finally eighth, one second back from Bassani.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha) was ninth, Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad) was tenth on the second factory BMW.
Chaz Davies (GoEleven Ducati) was a faller early on and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha) finished 12th after his start from pitlane. Leon Haslam (HRC Honda) was 14th.
Eugene Laverty (RC Squadra Corse BMW) was a non-starter after his big fall in the morning. He be evaluated by medics before the morning's Superpole race.
