Pasini Wins Race of the Season

Mattia Pasini has won his home Italian Grand Prix at Mugello from compatriot Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista. While the Italian fans are celebrating a popular one –t wo, Simoncelli’s result is yet to be confirmed, with officials investigating a lap 11 collision between the lanky Italian and bitter rival Bautista. It was the that incident that defined a tense and nail biting race, allowing Pasini to a commanding lead and setting up his win.

The race started, as at Le Mans started in treacherous wet conditions, but fortunately didn’t turn into the crash fest we saw in France, with Jules Cluzel the first and rider to succumb, down on lap one and Lucas Pesek the only other crasher with a nasty highside on lap six. Up the front Simoncelli eked out a three second lead over Bautista by the end of the first lap, the Spaniard clearly anxious to set out after the reigning champ but Hector Faubel, Hector Barbera and Hiroshi Aoyama had other ideas. It took a few laps for Bautista to break free, but in the meantime Mattia Pasini had closed in behind, and when Bautista ran wide on lap three Pasini dove through for second.

For the next few laps the lead riders strung out, with each finding their own groove. Simoncelli was six seconds ahead at one stage, but Pasini was closing rapidly at over a second a lap, and Bautista clawing the duo back by over two seconds a lap.

When he finally made the pass for second, Bautista dragged Pasini to the rear of Simoncelli, and there was an air of tension as Simoncelli ran wide at turn one, allowing Bautista to the lead. Both Bautista and Simoncelli had frightening moments and Pasini sat back, biding his time.

Pasini’s strategy proved wisest on lap eleven, when a desperate lunge from Simoncelli saw the two collide, Simoncelli and Bautista both taking a wild ride across the sand trap through the esses. It was a scary moment in the high speed section and both riders were lucky to rejoin, Simoncelli 5.5 seconds behind and Bautista a further four or five seconds behind the Italian.

The incident immediately triggered an investigation by race officials, and turned on the angry eyes in Bautista’s helmet.

The Mapfire Aspar rider set the fastest lap with a 2m07.067s on lap 16, closing to 0.6s behind Simoncelli, and closing fast on Bautista.

Bautista was pushing for the pass on Simoncelli with three laps to go when a huge highside through him out of his seat, luckily holding on and dropping just a second to Simoncelli, but most significantly, ending his challenge for second or a potential win.

Inspired, Simoncelli caught up to Pasini, setting up one of the greatest final laps of the season, over the line Simoncelli caught the slipstream, sling-shotting to the lead before running wide into turn one, Pasini dove to the lead out of that corner, before Simoncelli retook the lead in turn 3. Pasini retook his lead just a corner later. It was all the crowd could do to count the lead changes in a lap that saw as many as nine changes for the lead, but it was Mattia Pasini who managed to hold on, claiming the lead by a mere tenth of a second.

The final result is still in dispute with officials yet to rule on the incident between Bautista and Simoncelli.